Ashley Thornton ’19 joined Averett University as assistant director of athletic communications in June of 2022.
Thornton returned to Averett after serving as an Athletics Media Relations Graduate Assistant at Coker University since 2021. During her time at Coker she served as primary contact for Coker’s men’s soccer, baseball, softball, indoor and outdoor track & field, and golf programs. While there, she also assisted with statistics, releases, broadcast production, graphics and social media content for all of Coker’s 23 sports and served as the internship coordinator for the media department overseeing all interns and work studies and also served as an advisor to Coker’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Additionally, during Thornton’s time with the Cobras she served as the assistant tournament director for the 2022 South Atlantic Conference Women’s Golf Tournament, she also assisted with play-by-play and media coverage for the 2021 Division II NCAA Southeast volleyball regional hosted by Anderson University (S.C.).
Thornton served as a Marketing Intern for the Florence Flamingos in the summer of 2021. Helping them with marketing, social media, graphic design, statistics, merchandising, in-game entertainment and promotions, and game day operations for the 2021 season. She played a vital role during the teams in season rebrand from the Florence Red Wolves to the Florence Flamingos.
Prior to Coker, Thornton was a Communications and Marketing Assistant for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) in Raleigh, North Carolina. While with NCDPS, she assisted with internal and external publications, digital content, marketing and specialized in recruitment marketing. She also served as the Governor’s Office liaison assisting with press conferences, videography and communications.
While in Raleigh, Thornton volunteered in William Peace University Athletic Communications office helping them with statistics, photography and game day operations.
Thornton got her start in Athletic Communications in Averett’s Athletic Communications office, serving as a student intern her senior year. During her time as an undergraduate student she was heavily involved on campus, she served as a writer and Marketing Director for Averett’s student magazine, The Chanticleer, she was a Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative for Tennis. She also served as an Orientation Leader, Orientation Operations Intern, Student Engagement Intern, and was a Resident Assistant. She was also a three-year member of Kappa Delta Alpha Sorority where she held several leadership roles and also served as Vice President of the Love Danville Council her senior year.
A native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, Thornton attended Averett, where she was a member of the volleyball and women’s tennis teams during her time and was a member of volleyball’s 2015 and 2016 USA South East Division Championship teams. She also helped women’s tennis achieve its best season in over 20 years as the Cougars made three consecutive USA South Conference Tournament berths.
Thornton is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and serves on the CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee.
Thornton graduated from Averett in May 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications and received her Masters of Science in college athletics administration from Coker in May 2022.
