Ashleigh Axios is a term trustee of the board of directors to Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), a private art and design school in Providence, RI.

Ashleigh Axios recently completed her time as a senior executive team member and a co-owner at Coforma, a fast-growing digital consultancy. Axios also served as the President and Chair of the national board of directors for AIGA, the professional association of design. Axios formed and led the in-house creative agency for marketing, communications, and brand identity solutions at Automattic, a technology company on a mission to democratize publishing and commerce. Axios is well known for having served as the creative director and a digital strategist for the Obama White House, bridging two presidential terms in the Office of Digital Strategy. She is also a past president of AIGA Washington D.C., where she formed DotGovDesign, an initiative connecting and empowering government designers with regular meetings, a yearly conference, and online course. Read Ashleigh's resume to learn more about her professional history.

Ashleigh is a graduate from RISD. She resides in the DC area with her husband, Nathaniel Axios, and family.

Select Accolades

Trailblazer AWard Finalist

ACG National Capital
2023

ACG National Capital recognizes executives who challenge the status quo to drive innovation in all facets of business to drive results, and who represent the next generation of leadership, for their contributions to the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area’s business community.

Select Interviews

MagazineS &
Online publications

• Nasdaq in 2022, “Crafting Creative Solutions That Elevate Human Needs”

• Offscreen in 2018, “The creative director of Obama’s White House calls on designers to tackle the biggest challenges of our time.”

• 28 Black Designers in 2018

• The United State of Women in 2016

• FastCompany: “How Designers Can Help The Black Lives Matter Movement” in 2016

Podcasts

• Clever Podcast with Amy Devers in 2022

• The Reflex Blue Show
  with Donovan Beery in 2020

• The Design of Business | The Business of Design
  with Michael Bierut and Jessica Helfand in 2017

• Giant Thinkers Podcast
  with Ram Castillo in 2017

• Revision Path
  with Maurice Cherry in 2016

Ashleigh wants to see diversity and equity across design, government, tech, and in the work produced in these spaces. She steps into the spotlight and shows herself — her journey, successes, and quirks — to help demonstrate that there’s also space for everyone. She works to see obstacles and burdens recognized and leveraged for the ingredients — empathy, endurance, grit, and the clear-eyed hope — they produce, which can be used to enact positive social change.

She has spoken at dozens of conferences, schools and institutions, and marketing, advertising, and design events across the globe. She often speaks about leadership, culture, innovation under pressure, value-built brands, inclusion in design and technology, design in government, the intersection of design and culture, and more.

To invite her speak, visit the Contact page and submit a thoughtful request.

Following are select speaking highlights.

Speaking Announcement

Ashleigh Axios is scheduled to speak at Circles 2025, a premier conference focused on creativity, design, and film. The event will take place in Grapevine, TX, from September 22–26, 2025.