Dr. Ashley W. Dugger began her career in higher education leadership, helping to lead teams of admissions and enrollment specialists for one of the largest distance education programs in the country and has since focused on operational leadership and human resource management. After earning her Doctorate in Business Administration, she transitioned to working as a capacity management analyst in the financial services industry. Knowing her professional passions centered in HR and organizational culture, she also spent time managing HR functions as part of leading a large team while running the operations side of a local animal shelter, and then moved to work in higher education HR management. As a Senior HR Generalist and Title IX Coordinator, she was responsible for all facets of HR, compliance, and managing a team of HR professionals.
Ashley holds an earned Doctor of Business Administration degree with a focus in Management, MBA in International Business, BS in Business with a focus in Marketing, and the SHRM-CP certification. Through SHRM she has also earned the Veterans at Work and Getting Talent Back to Work certifications. Ashley holds a certificate in Instructional Design from Association for Talent Development. She serves in the role of Associate Dean and Director of HR and Organizational Psychology programs in the College of Business at Western Governors University, leading an academic program management and faculty management team, as well as a team of HR faculty that serve students in the undergraduate HR degree programs. In November of 2023, her team will also launch a new MS in HR Management degree. She is the primary faculty advisor for the WGU SHRM Virtual Student Chapter, which has almost 700 student members.
Her areas of expertise include strategic human resource management, higher education administration, organizational culture, change management, leadership, adult education, learning and development, and online/blended faculty effectiveness. She also has a love for humor at work and how we can utilize humor to build relationships, drive connection, and strengthen trust with our colleagues! Ashley has presented on the topic of humor at work and how HR professionals can use humor, published on this topic, and is looking forward to leading workshops on humor at work in the future. Supporting mental health and well-being of employees, and disability inclusion, is both a personal and professional passion for her, as is providing educational opportunities to traditionally underserved populations. As a first-generation college student herself, she knows firsthand the impact that access to education can have on the trajectory of your life. She is also extremely passionate about the impact HR professionals and all employees can have on organizational culture and the impact that our work experiences have, as a trickle-down impact, to our families, friends, and communities. Ashley believes in the idea that HR truly can change the world – not just the world of work, but as a force for positive change in how we value and include one another, treat each other with respect, and learn to collaborate to drive lasting, positive change in all aspects of our lives and the lives of those around us. She has brought her interest and love for community service to her work at WGU, and it also serves as a large focal point of her personal life.
Ashley has presented for organizations such as ACBSP, Online Learning Consortium, SHRM, and CUPA-HR on various HR, leadership, organizational culture, higher education, and business topics. Her work has been published and featured with HR Professionals Magazine, Talent Management, Chief Learning Officer, and Higher Ed HR Magazine. If you would like to reach out to Ashley, you can email her at Ashley.dugger@wgu.edu, and connect on Linked In!