Ashley Roberts is the Chief Operating Officer of the Grid Deployment Office (GDO). Through this role, Ashley provides executive direction for program-wide human capital management and workforce development, financial management, internal controls, program analysis and performance, project execution, strategic communications and outreach, information management and technology, procurement and acquisition management, logistics, and administrative activities that are central to GDO’s capacity to meet its mission.  

Working at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) before joining the Department of Energy, Ashley brings 15 years of federal government experience to this position. Most recently, she served as the Deputy Director for Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste Programs, where she provided executive direction for the regulation and oversight of low-level waste and uranium recovery and NRC’s materials, power, and non-power reactor decommissioning. 

Prior to that, Ashley served in several positions across the NRC, where she improved business operations and enhanced program performance and service delivery. She also served as NRC’s Acting Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer and the Deputy Director for NRC’s COVID-19 Coordination Team, where she provided critical leadership and expertise in overseeing the pandemic response.  Ashley also held the position of Deputy Director, IT Services Development and Operations Division, spearheading efforts that resulted in increased remote access capacity and enhanced virtual work and mobile solutions.  

Ashley co-founded and served as Director of EMBARK Venture Studio in NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, a first-of-a-kind program focused on accelerating a culture of innovation and implementing creative solutions to improve programs. She also held the positions of Director, Division of Resource Management and Administration; Chief of the Financial, Human Capital and Analysis Support Branch; Metrics and Data Analysis Team Lead; and served as the Budget and Performance Management Executive Technical Assistant for two NRC Executive Directors for Operations, and the Budget and Performance Management Policy Advisor to an NRC Chairman. 

Before joining the NRC, Ashley supported performance review and logistics contracts with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Administration for Children and Families. Ashley holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Rhetoric & Political Culture from the University of Maryland.