Cullowhee, North Carolina – A former standout female basketball student-athlete and athletics administrator at her alma mater, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Ashley Simmons was named Associate Athletic Director for Student Success by the WCU Athletic Director Alex Gary. As a senior staff member at WCU Athletics, Simmons will also serve as Senior Administrator (SWA) for Catamount Athletics, a role she previously held at ULM.
Simmons moved to Cullowhee in June 2021 as Western Carolina University’s Academic Affairs Transfer Specialist, assisting with WCU Admissions and Counseling Center. She officially assumes WCU’s Student Success and SWA role on July 1, 2022, assuming the position previously held by Stacey R. Miller, who has held a position on the WCU campus, since the summer of 2013.
“Western Carolina Athletics is proud to welcome Ashleigh to the Catamount family,” said Gary. “Ashleigh is highly regarded and respected in our industry and provides exceptional leadership to our academic development program. She is not only committed to the academic success of student-athletes, but is passionate about preparing them for life beyond the competition. We are extremely fortunate to have Ashleigh on our management team.”
Simmons has held a variety of positions at ULM since graduating in 2014, beginning as a graduate assistant in the ULM Athletic Academic Services office at the Student Success Center where she worked alongside academic advisors to help student-athletes. She returned to women’s basketball as director of operations for two seasons from 2016 to 2018, where she was the team’s liaison with academia, compliance, business operations, marketing, and ticketing operations.
Simmons transitioned to a more administrative role in July 2018 when she assumed the position of Assistant Director of Compliance at ULM in July 2018 before being elevated to Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and SWA in January 2019. She has also held athletic supervisory responsibilities for the Men’s ULM. and women’s track and field, women’s soccer and softball programs. Simmons was the athletic department advisor for ULM’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and served as athletic liaison to the Title IX coordinator.
Selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team in 2013-14 as a senior, Simmons served as team captain for two years as a junior and senior. A native of Hawkins, Texas, the forward became the 17th 1,000-point scorer in ULM program history on February 26, 2014, in a 76-70 victory over South Alabama in Monroe. She ended her playing career with 1,040 points.
Simmons received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in mathematics from ULM in 2014. She was honored on the Sun Belt Commissioners list in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
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