Ben Ashley manages the firm's relationships with stakeholders, including government officials, school administrators, and community leaders. His focus is on enhancing the firm's public and private sector reputation, while actively engaging in educational and government projects. He discusses existing and new facility needs with clients to facilitate building, site, and/or environmental improvements, provides support in grant application processes, and consults on accountability matters through the construction procedures. He focuses on quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) to ensure client satisfaction and project success.
Previously, as Director of Architectural Services for the School Building Authority (SBA) of West Virginia, he oversaw planning, design, and construction of new PK-12 schools statewide. He developed design and construction standards and led the architectural team through project phases. From 2017-2021, Ben led the SBA’s project grant evaluation, authoring the Needs Project Scoring Analysis, guiding project evaluation based on legislative criteria. He also authored revisions to the SBA's Policy and Procedures Handbook and was a major contributor to the WV Department of Education's Policy 6200 Handbook and the SBA’s Handbook of Quality and Performance Standards.
He is an associate member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the West Virginia Chapter of the AIA. He currently serves on the State Workforce Development Board and the Generation WV Board of Directors.
Ben received a Master of Business Administration from West Virginia University and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Tennessee. He was the recipient of the James R. McCartney Community Service Award in 2022 from the WVU Alumni Association, was a Generation Next 40 under 40 honoree, and is a graduate of the Leadership WV program.
Ben resides in Charleston, West Virginia with his wife, Suzette, and their daughter.