3/1/2018 - Board of Directors

"PAL Charlotte Welcomes a New ED"

The Police Activities League and Board of Directors proudly welcome Ashley (Hughes) Ross, as the new Executive Director of PAL Charlotte. Ross comes to PAL with a strong background in both development and nonprofit management. As a native of Atlantic City, New Jersey and proud alumna of her hometown PAL and Boys & Girls Club, she prides herself on following in her mother’s professional footsteps with a strong commitment to youth development. Ross received her Master’s in Public Administration, with a graduate level certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Illinois (’11), her bachelors in Criminology from Johnson C. Smith University (’09), and currently serves as JCSU’s Charlotte Alumni Chapter President.

 

Before joining PAL Charlotte, Ross worked as a fundraising resource development professional for Gaston Literacy Council, The City of St. Louis Homeless Services Division, and Boy & Girls Clubs of Atlantic City. As a skilled grant writer, closing at 95% with $14,542,292 in grant funding raised, renewed, and managed Ashley Ross comes to PAL as a cross-functional hire. In her first two weeks with PAL, Ross secured over $12,000 to fund programs that expose youth to opportunities they may normally not have access to. “In my experience, as both a recipient of youth development programs and a professional in the field, I find youth exposure to be of grave importance. I operate on the belief that you cannot be what you cannot see; therefore, I fully intend to develop the best possible resources for the families we serve,” says Ross.

 

Ross resides in Gastonia, NC with husband Justin Ross, a Financial Advisor with Wells Fargo. The two will are expecting their first child this Spring!

 

The Police Activities League is best known for their championship worthy youth in a range of sports. Under the direction of Ross, she aims to expand on the services, as well as the scope of communities PAL serves. In January, the Police Activities League will roll out a new program structure to include Yoga, Fashion Design, Photography, Drone Robotics, Culinary Arts, Fashion Design and much more!  In addition to these new and exciting programs, Ross will be opening a new PAL site in the Hidden Valley community with the help of CMPD. To learn more about the work of PAL Charlotte, or to enroll your youth visit www.PALCHARLOTTE.org or call (704) for details.