Ashley Brundage

About

Ashley T Brundage is the Founder and President of Empowering Differences. While seeking employment at a major financial institution, she overcame harassment, discrimination, and homelessness to empower her differences. Not just her status as a transgender woman but also missing the chance to go to college growing up due to her transition. Gender, Education, Ability, and Religion played key parts in her journey of empowerment. Starting her second career as a part time teller she rose to National Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion in less than 5 years. She captured this 4-step process of using empowerment to cultivate change in her new book and online leadership course both called Empowering Differences. Ashley credits her success to those closest to her for providing actionable allyship including her 2 teenage sons, Bryce and Blake.

Since beginning transitioning in 2008, she has worked tirelessly to promote awareness and acceptance of gender identity and expression. She works to accomplish this goal by volunteering in the community and holding education sessions for corporations. She serves on the Corporate Advisory Council for the NGLCC-National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Also is the immediate past chair for NGLCC’s global TGX Initiative. She chaired the successful bid to host the NGLCC convention in 2019, and Visit Tampa Bay named her their Tourism Champion for 2017. In 2018, she started serving on the board of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. In 2019, she was voted on the National Board of Directors for GLAAD. GLAAD works to accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQ+ Community through media advocacy. Ashley served as the Vice Chair and lead the Development Committee for GLAAD for 3 years.

Ms. Brundage speaks locally and nationally about her transition, workplace equality, leadership, change management, and empowerment. She has also been interviewed in several publications and media outlets, including InStyle Magazine, The Female Quotient, Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Business Journal, The Miami Herald, Fox, ABC, CBS, Las Vegas Review Journal, Milwaukee Biz Times, the Daily Beast, Fairygodboss, and The Tampa Bay Times.

Ashley has been recognized in many areas and has received numerous awards including: The University of South Florida 2014 Community Pride Award, 2015 St Pete Pride Grand Marshal, 2015 Commendation-City of Tampa, 2016 Tampa Bay Business Journal Business Woman of the Year, 2016 Voice for Equality Award from Equality Florida, and LGBT Leadership Award from the Florida Diversity Council. In 2017, she was awarded a Leadership Award from Metro Inclusive Health. Also, in 2017 she was a winner of the Inaugural People First Award by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, and the TBBJ Power 100 list, the most influential and powerful people in business. In 2018, she was given the Champion Award from international non-profit Out & Equal as well as named one of Florida’s Most Powerful and Influential Women from the National Diversity Council. In 2019, she was named one of the Top 40 under 40 in the LGBTQ community nationally by Business Equality Magazine, TBBJ Outstanding Voice for the LGBTQ community and the Inaugural Transgender Rising Star by Trans New York. 2021 has been a banner year for both Ashley and Empowering Differences as the 4- Step Empowerment Process was used to win Linkage’s Executive Impact Award and the Stevie Awards Global Social Impact Gold Stevie for LGBTI Community. Ashley repeated with a Gold Stevie Award in 2022 and was named Compassionate Leader Award from Forbes, and 2022 Visibility Award from the NGLCC- National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Also she accepted an award from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Florida Commission on the Status of Women Spirit of Community Award.