Listen to a new episode of YNS Live with NFL Thread with hosts Juliet Hahn and Cynthia Zordich featuring special guest Ashley Smith.
The 2023 season marks Ashley Smith’s 6th season in the football industry and 3rd in the NFL. Currently she serves as Manager, Player Engagement for the National Football League. Smith works within the Football Operations department and heads up the league’s programming geared towards the personal and professional development of current and former NFL players. She oversees programs such as the Career Tours, Broadcasting & Media Workshop, Real Estate Workshop, Personal Branding & Social Workshop, and more. Additionally, Smith serves as a co-lead of the NFL Women’s Community that serves as a central platform for resources, events, programs, and initiatives that support and champion women involved in the game. Ashley and her Women’s Community co-lead, Cesley Tafoya, work to streamline communication and amplify resources that support the personal and professional development, health & wellness, and cross-collaborative engagement of women in the NFL family.
Prior to joining the National Football League, Smith spent a summer interning with the Kansas City Chiefs in their inaugural Norma Hunt Player Personnel Fellowship Program. In this program, Smith assisted the General Manager and player personnel staff in evaluating players, trimming the team’s roster, and practice operations.
Before transitioning out of intercollegiate athletics, Smith served as the Assistant Athletic Director of Player Development for the Tennessee Football Program in 2021. In this role, she spearheaded the football program’s programming in the areas of leadership development, personal enhancement, community outreach, and career and professional development. Smith worked at the University of Tennessee for a total of five years. During this time, she worked for both the football and student-athlete development departments.
From June 2013 to July 2016, Smith worked in the Championships & Alliances department at the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Her time there began as a postgraduate intern and then developed into an assistant coordinator position. Smith had the opportunity to work a total of 19 national championships across Divisions I, II, and III. While assisting with the planning and execution of these events, Smith’s duties and responsibilities consisted of creating championship manuals, working with national sport committees, developing social media strategies, event operations, etc.
Smith graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and collateral in entrepreneurship. She worked as a student manager for the Lady Vols Basketball Program for four years. During that time, she had the opportunity to work with the late Pat Summit and assisted the coaches and staff in recruiting, administrative, and operational capacities.
She earned her master’s degree in Sports Management from the University of Florida in 2017.
Remarkable Quotes
“Continue to show up, continue to share, because you never know how you're inspiring other women. You never know how you're helping the woman that's sitting beside you.”
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