Ashley Meade

As Ashley Meade was earning her BSBA (‘03) and MBA (‘09) degrees at UAH, little did she know she would use her business education to change the lives of refugees across Africa. Meade, a senior operations manager for Pacific Architects and Engineers, Inc. (a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin), began combining her mind for business and heart for serving when she traveled to South Sudan in 2012 - her first passport stamp. Together with organizations such as the United Nations Refugee Agency and the United Nations World Food Programme, Meade helped meet the basic needs of 150,000 Sudanese refugees. That effort laid the groundwork for many future projects.

For the past five years, Meade’s passport has become well-stamped. She has traveled to Tanzania, South Africa, Somalia, and many countries across Europe. For Meade, the most fulfilling aspect of her work is the humanitarian aid she is able to provide - “seeing a road being built where a swamp used to be – seeing people trucking goods in and out.” On a return visit to South Sudan, Meade was able to see the fruits of her labor. “Kids were reading by lamps at night, continuing their education. That’s exciting to me, and I love it.”

Currently, Meade is working in Kampala, Uganda and has traveled to the world’s largest refugee camp in the Bidi Bidi region, home to many of the 900,000 Sudanese refugees.

Meade credits professor emerita Dr. Dorla Evans with sparking her interest in finance. Meade’s enthusiasm for international travel provided an opportunity to use her business education beyond the corporate office. She embraces her own professional advice: “Be open, and be flexible. Find the right opportunity.”

Ashley Meade
Ashley Meade

Contact

Violet Edwards
Lauren Wiggins
vre0001@uah.edu