MIAMI — March 11, 2021 — Ashley Zohn has been promoted to vice president, Learning & Impact, of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Zohn will lead Knight’s work in research and assessment of impact. 

“Effective social transformation begins with solid data. Over the last decade, we have seen the growing importance of research and critical assessment to our work,” said Alberto Ibargüen, president of Knight Foundation. “Ashley has been leading this work and has shown the vision, tenacity and ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and contractors necessary to deliver outstanding results.”

Zohn joined Knight Foundation in January 2019 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She has more than a decade of experience advancing data-driven decision-making in the nonprofit, public and private sectors.

Knight’s research program includes partnerships with Gallup, Inc. and Pew Research on major surveys of public attitudes toward media, the First Amendment and technology, as well assessments that evaluate the impact of Knight’s investments in community, journalism and the arts. 

“As social investors, we need to understand what strategies result in impact, and which do not. With these insights, we can better support transformational change.” said Zohn. “I am honored to lead an incredibly talented team and excited about the ways that we will expand our research into vital areas such as trust in media, free expression and the impact of technology on democracy.”

Prior to Knight, Zohn oversaw FEMA’s Continuous Improvement Program. In this capacity, she was responsible for reviewing the agency’s responses following federally declared disasters and building continuous improvement capacity at FEMA’s disaster operations.

In other roles at FEMA, she managed a research portfolio of internal research and analysis projects, including the FEMAStat program. Ashley also worked in community outreach at the American Red Cross. She began her career in marketing science.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Princeton University, a Master of Business Administration from MIT Sloan School of Management and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is a native of Miami.

###

Contact: Andrew Sherry, Vice President/Communications, Knight Foundation, [email protected], (305) 908-2677