Board Member Spotlight: Ashley Sweeney, Board Secretary

For Ashley Sweeney, Co-Director of PEAK at Clarkson University, entrepreneurship has always been about more than starting businesses. It's about recognizing opportunities, challenging the status quo, and creating experiences that help people discover what they're capable of.

Ashley has been part of the USASBE community for approximately 13 years, attending her first conference shortly after beginning her career at Clarkson. What started as an opportunity to learn from fellow entrepreneurship educators quickly became a professional community that would influence her career in ways she hadn't anticipated. In 2015, Clarkson received USASBE's National Model Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program Award, an accomplishment that reinforced the value of collaboration, innovation, and the relationships she had developed through the organization.

Throughout her career, Ashley has never been particularly interested in doing something simply because that's the way it's always been done. She enjoys finding new ways to approach challenges, connecting people and resources, and turning ideas into opportunities. Her work at Clarkson has evolved from supporting student entrepreneurs to leading broader initiatives in innovation and experiential learning, but the motivation has remained the same: creating opportunities for students to try something new, take risks, and discover what they're capable of. Today, as Co-Director of Clarkson's PEAK initiative, she works to create environments where students can apply their knowledge, challenge themselves, and gain confidence through hands-on experiences.

Ashley believes entrepreneurship isn't defined by whether someone starts a business, but by how they approach opportunities and challenges. She is particularly passionate about helping students understand that failure isn't the opposite of success, but an important part of learning. Whether mentoring the student founders of KLAW Industries through the NSF I-Corps process or helping students develop the confidence to pursue an unfamiliar opportunity, she finds the greatest reward in seeing students recognize their own potential. She believes in supporting people, but also challenging them to take ownership of their ideas, decisions, and success.

For Ashley, USASBE's greatest strength has always been its people. Early in her involvement, a colleague encouraged her not to sit in the back of the room, but to participate, introduce herself, and build relationships. Those introductions became lasting friendships, mentorships, and professional connections that continue to shape her career.

Now serving as USASBE Board Secretary, Ashley sees an opportunity to give back to the organization that has played such an important role in her professional journey. She hopes to help create that same welcoming environment for newer members while contributing to conversations about the future of entrepreneurship education.

Her advice to first-time conference attendees is simple: "Don't sit in the back of the room." Attend the sessions, ask questions, stay for coffee, and participate in the social events. You never know where a conversation might lead or how a connection might change your perspective.

Outside of work, Ashley enjoys golfing, particularly the opportunity to disconnect from everything else and focus on the moment. She also recently welcomed Leica, an English cream golden retriever, to her family.

One piece of career advice that has stayed with Ashley is, "Your time will come." But she's also learned that doesn't mean sitting back and waiting for something to happen. Growth rarely follows the timeline you expect, and opportunities don't always present themselves neatly. Her advice is to keep showing up, put your ideas out there, take the chances that come your way, and don't be afraid to create your own opportunities along the way.

Looking ahead, Ashley hopes to see USASBE continue expanding beyond traditional boundaries and engaging educators from a wider range of disciplines. She believes entrepreneurship and innovation are relevant to every field and that the organization has an opportunity to help shape how higher education approaches experiential learning, problem-solving, and preparing students for an evolving world.

For Ashley, the future of USASBE lies in its members and their willingness to get involved, share ideas, challenge conventional thinking, and create opportunities for others. After all, she believes the greatest impact often comes not just from recognizing opportunities, but from creating them.