Little League® International has announced Ashlea Nash as its new Director of Softball Development, effective as of May 5, 2022.
“We are thrilled to welcome back Ashlea as our new Director of Softball Development and look forward to her insight, knowledge, and passion for the game as we continue to grow our softball program and offer more girls the opportunity to experience the unique benefits that our program offers,” said Dan Velte, Little League Senior Operations Executive. “Ashlea’s previous experience working at our Central Region office, combined with her most recent experience at USA Softball, will provide our program with unique insights and great opportunities as we write the next chapter in the Little League story.”
In this new role, Ms. Nash will be responsible for implementing strategies that support the retention, expansion, safety, engagement, and growth of the Little League Softball® program in communities all over the world. Additionally, Ms. Nash will serve as the Tournament Director for the Little League Softball World Series in Greenville, North Carolina, and provide oversight and support to the dedicated volunteers who organize and operate the Junior and Senior League Softball World Series tournaments.
“I am thrilled to return to the Little League team in this new role as we look to continue the growth and development of the Little League Softball program around the world,” said Ms. Nash. “It is incredible to see the work that Little League has done for the young girls and women within the program through the growth of the softball program and the establishment of the Girls with Game Initiative, and I am excited to work alongside our talented staff to continue these efforts and bring the Little League experience in new communities all around the globe.”
Ms. Nash has spent the past year at USA Softball where she started as the Manager of Marketing and most recently was named the Managing Director of Sport Development.
Prior to her role at USA Softball, Ms. Nash served in the operations department at the Central Region Headquarters of Little League Baseball and Softball. Ms. Nash first joined the Little League team as the Central Region Assistant Director where she served in that role before taking over as the Region Director.
A 2015 graduate of Indiana’s Manchester University with a degree in Sports Management and Communication Studies, where she was also a member of the softball team. Additionally, she has previous experience working as a Marketing and Project Coordinator for Vision Event Management in Westfield, Indiana, where she worked in the day-to-day marketing and event coordination, managed on-site volunteers and vendors during special events, and coordinated with marketing and sponsorship teams throughout the year.
Along with her experience working at Vision Event Management, Ms. Nash also has developed professional experience at Indiana Sports Corp, Emmis Communications, the Chicago Bandits, and WISH TV. In addition to her professional experience, Ms. Nash has served as a dedicated volunteer since graduating college, spending time working multiple event and media operations roles for events such as the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Diving, the NCAA Women’s Final Four, the Big Ten Football Championship, the P&G Gymnastics Championship, and the USA Diving Winter Nationals.