Ashley Bell (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ashley Bell
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Administrator of the Small Business Administration for Region IV |
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Assumed office February 26, 2018 |
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Associate Director of the Peace Corps for External Affairs |
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In office July 7, 2017 – February 21, 2018 |
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Personal details | |
Born | Gainesville, Georgia, U.S. |
Political party | Republican (since 2010) |
Other political affiliations |
Democratic (before 2010) |
Alma mater | Valdosta State University (BA) Louisiana State University (JD) |
Ashley D. Bell is an American lawyer and political advisor. He has also worked as a government official.
In October 2019, he became a White House Policy Advisor. He helped with new business ideas and inventions. This role was part of the Office of American Innovation.
Early Life and Education
Ashley Bell grew up in Gainesville, Georgia. This city is located in the state of Georgia.
In 2001, he earned a degree in political science from Valdosta State University. This means he studied how governments work. He was also the president of the student government there. He helped start a local chapter of the Iota Phi Theta fraternity.
He later earned a law degree, called a Juris Doctor, from Louisiana State University. He also studied leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has an honorary doctorate degree too.
Career
Legal Work
Ashley Bell started his career as a public defender. A public defender is a lawyer who helps people who cannot afford legal help. Later, he helped start a law firm in Atlanta called Bell & Washington LLP.
His work first focused on general civil litigation. This means he handled legal disagreements between people or groups. Later, he worked on public finance and government lawsuits. After leaving the Trump Administration in 2020, Bell became a partner at Dentons. He worked in their policy practice.
Political Roles
Ashley Bell was first a member of the Democratic Party. In 2010, he changed parties and became a Republican. When he was 27, he was elected to the Hall County Commission in Georgia.
From 2011 to 2012, he was a senior supporter for Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign. In 2012, he became a special advisor to Mitt Romney during the general election. He also co-chaired a group called "Blacks for Romney" with U.S. Senator Tim Scott.
In 2014, Bell was a senior supporter for Jack Kingston's campaign for the Senate. He was also a national co-chair for Rand Paul's presidential campaign in 2016.
In 2016, Bell was chosen as a senior strategist for the Republican National Committee. He was also the National Director of African-American Political Engagement. In 2017, he joined the team that helped President Trump transition into office. He then worked as a special assistant to the United States Secretary of State. He also worked in the Bureau of Public Affairs.
On July 7, 2017, the Peace Corps announced that Bell would be their new associate director for External Affairs. In this role, he oversaw different offices. These included Communications, Congressional Relations, and Strategic Partnerships.
On February 21, 2018, President Donald Trump appointed Ashley Bell. He became the regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Region IV. This region covers nine districts. These districts are in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Bell oversaw a large amount of SBA-backed loans, which are loans supported by the SBA. He also helped over 225,000 business owners in Region IV. He managed programs that helped small businesses get federal contracts. These contracts made up over 23% of all federal contracts given out.
Non-profit and Volunteer Work
Bell is the founder and CEO of the 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center. This group aims to bring together Black Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Their main goal is to improve the criminal justice system.
He also founded Generation Inspiration. This organization teaches important life skills to students of color who are at risk. These are skills not usually taught in school. The goal is to help these students succeed in Bell's hometown of Gainesville, Georgia.