Ashland Johnson

As Director of Public Education and Research at HRC, Ashland shapes HRC’s approach to generating research and educational campaigns. She works closely with the Senior Vice President for Programs, Research and Training to execute Public education and programmatic initiatives covering a wide range of issues affecting LGBTQ people in the United States and around the globe.

Ashland Johnson was previously at Athlete Ally where she served as the Director of Policy and Campaigns, activating athletic communities to protect and promote LGBTQ equality.

Prior to Athlete Ally, Ashland served as Policy Counsel for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. She advanced NCLR’s legislative and policy priorities in several areas including health, housing, employment and athletics.

Ashland also promoted Health and Reproductive Rights at the National Women’s Law Center. She clerked for Lambda Legal, where she assisted with equal rights litigation and pro-LGBTQ policy initiatives in the South. Additionally, she was a Holley Law Fellow at the LGBTQ Task Force, where she advocated for transgender-inclusive policies on the federal and state level.

Ashland is a graduate of Furman University where she played Division I women's basketball. She graduated with a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law as a National Point Scholar and a Bill and Anne Shepherd Equal Rights Scholar. In 2016, she was named as one of the best LGBT lawyers under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association.

Ashland currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Equality Federation and the Point Foundation's Selections Committee.