ALUMN I LEADER
MEET THE NEW ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Ashley Bailey-Chang earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2012. She is a corporate attorney for a global law firm and volunteers providing pro bono legal services for survivors of domestic abuse. An Alumni Advisory Board member since 2017, she became president in July.
Why did you choose to attend St. Thomas? St. Thomas has an excellent reputation. I
How would you describe the benefits of staying engaged with St. Thomas? What is special about the alumni community? Two things immediately come to mind. First, Tommies are everywhere. We are business leaders, creatives, scientists, social workers and educators (to name a few). Second, Tommies want to help and give back. We dedicate our time, treasure and talents to benefiting our communities, our organizations and advancing the common good. Staying engaged with St. Thomas not only allows alumni to help the next generation of leaders and the St. Thomas community, but allows alumni to take advantage of the networking and professional development opportunities that are critical in career transitions and advancement. What excites you about the future of St. Thomas? I am proud of the commitment that St. Thomas has made to creating a just society that treats all humans with dignity, and I look forward to the formation of the Racial Justice Initiative. The Racial Justice Initiative “will be involved in facilitating research, exploring community partnerships, and encouraging dialogue and critical conversations around addressing the historical roots of racial inequality in the United States.” In addition to seeing the work of the initiative, I am excited to see how the transition to D-I athletics will allow St. Thomas to further advance its mission and impact on a national scale.
was particularly drawn to the smaller student body and class sizes, and the personalized attention and resources this afforded to
students. I also knew I wanted to be close to home, and St. Thomas allowed me to experience campus life while still going home for Sunday family dinners and bringing my laundry home! Tell us about your career path thus far. I have spent my career as a corporate attorney and practice at the global law firm DLA Piper as an associate attorney. I assist clients with domestic and international transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, as well as other general corporate matters. I am also a volunteer attorney with the Domestic Abuse Legal Advocacy Center, PSC, an organization that provides pro bono legal services to victims and survivors of domestic abuse. What goals do you have as president of the board? Among other responsibilities, the Alumni Board serves as the voice of the alumni population to further advance the mission and goals of St. Thomas. To meet this objective, it is critical that we not only celebrate the university's successes, but that we thoughtfully consider and address how we can better serve our students and community.
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