By Elizabeth Illig

On Nov. 6, 2018, Junior League of Greensboro, North Carolina, Inc. Sustainer Ashton Clemmons won a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives. She will be representing District 57 in the state legislature for the 2019-2020 term.

When approached about running for office, Ms. Clemmons, a school administrator and mother of three, wondered how she would take on the responsibility. However, two factors drove her to campaign. Reflecting on her decision, she thought, “a. the schools you care about are depending on it, and b. you care deeply about women being in leadership and this is an opportunity for you, as a woman, to be at the table. How can you not try to do it?”

Her determined attitude has led to professional success. An enthusiastic educator, Ms. Clemmons has been dedicated to the NC school system and leadership development. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a teaching fellow, she taught in both Durham and Guilford counties. Later, she worked as a principal in Rockingham and Guilford counties and earned her master’s degree in school leadership from Harvard University. Currently, she serves as the assistant superintendent of Thomasville City Schools.

Her membership in the Junior League of Greensboro has been another way to contribute to the Triad, introducing her to local nonprofits she and her husband still support. The connection to women who are enriching the community drove her to join the League. Now, as a Sustainer, she continues to give back. “As a Sustainer you get to continue to, financially and in name, support the great work of The Junior League, knowing that there is a different group of women that’s continuing the work day-in and day-out.”

The League’s mission remains significant to her. “It serves a critical role in supporting important nonprofit work that is happening across our community. But then second … The Junior League provides one of the strongest national models for developing women in leadership.”

With her commitment to women’s leadership development, it is no wonder Ms. Clemmons has become one of the state’s educational and legislative leaders. She will be sworn into the NC House of Representatives in January of 2019.