A Boca Ciega Bay native, Ashley Patterson Beaty grew up on Florida’s waterways, instilling a commitment to wild Florida despite living over 800 miles away.
Ashley attended Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg. With its 40-acre waterfront campus, it’s no wonder the academy hosts a variety of aquatic curricula, including hands-on marine sciences, naval science, and SCUBA, fostering Ashley’s love of Florida’s marine ecosystems.
Today, Ashley works in Washington, D.C. as the Principal of Ardeidae Group, an organization she founded to advocate and consult on behalf of clean technology and energy businesses and policies. Ardeidae refers to the family of 60 genus species of wading birds found in coastal and inland wetland areas where she grew up, including the great blue heron and the snowy egret. She contributes a portion of the company’s fees to support our Foundation’s mission to conserve marine mammals, like the iconic Florida manatee.
“When you move out of Florida, it never really leaves you,” said Ashley, who often returns to the Palm Beach and Tampa Bay areas.
In addition to supporting environmentally positive policy with movers and shakers on the Hill, Ashley is also the first female Board Chair on her alma mater’s Board of Directors. While she has no children of her own, she cherishes the school’s 450 students and remains heavily involved in the school’s success in shaping the leadership of Florida’s future.
