Ashley Smith

Ashley Carson is the chief people officer leading the people function, including human resources, engagement, culture, learning and development, recruiting, and employment brand, at Vera. She is passionate about the “people” in people strategy and is driven to help people practice continuous learning, demonstrate resiliency with their teams, and understand their true potential. She believes that investment in an organization’s people is the key to unlocking true collective success.

She has more than 20+ years of experience in HR with an emphasis on organizational growth, change management and process improvement. She has built and led the overall vision for HR, designed and implemented strategies for scaling business growth, and coached and influenced senior leaders and executives. Prior to Vera, she was at Optum, previously Alere Wellbeing, for 10 years.

A certified professional coach, she holds a B.A. in social sciences from Eastern Washington University and a leadership executive MBA from Seattle University.