Ashley Bryant is not only a young black woman but she is also a trailblazer within her own field. Bryant is currently Senior Digital Strategist with 270 Strategies. She is mostly known for her role at the Obama Campaign in the battleground state of Ohio. Bryant was the State Digital Director which entailed producing videos, creating customs online tools, helped to create the polling look up, and worked with mobile. Bryant said, “It definitely was a digital strategy across the board. Social media played a large piece.”

“How can you want to change the world or make things better for the people within our country but you don’t know them. I hold that dear to my career,” said Bryant. This wisdom came with time and with and outgoing personality this motto has helped Bryant through many positions. It all starts with taking the time to know people.

Graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communications sparked her career. From Proctor and Gamble to Weber Shandwick to Obama for America to Beam and them finally to 270 Strategies is astounding because she is only 28 years old.

Bryant does not consider herself a guru or pioneer for what she does, the moment she stepped foot into the game the more her field was necessary and had just taken off.

Bryant got involved with digital strategist and branding with Proctor and Gamble, her first job out of college.

As a black woman in this field Bryant went through a training while with Proctor and Gamble which basically taught her and other black professionals with the company how to interact with other cultures in the work place. “They taught us that our white peers can easily say I, and shows them as being a leader and taking ownership. Where as African Americans we have shared family values and that it is natural for us to say we, even at work. And it is considered cocky to just say what you did,” said Bryant.

Part of being a leader is being able to take on responsibilities and task but being able to say when you did wrong and be able to dictate what you did and if your team is failing, a true leader will step up. That’s what that training taught Bryant.

For personal brand building it is key to be authentic and consistent. “ A lot of times for a personal brand, when people don’t last as long or are not a successful brand,  its because people kind of sat down and brainstormed what they wanted to be instead of actually figuring out who they are.”

In 2013, it is difficult to keep a positive brand for people and for companies because there are so many outlets for people to voice their opinion and they do.

• Taylor Young