EFE proudly announces the promotion of Ashley Barry to Vice President for Strategy and Impact. A proven innovator with over 17 years of experience at the nexus of technology, sustainability, and workforce development, Ashley will spearhead transformative initiatives to shape EFE’s 2030 Strategy.

“Ashley’s passion for leveraging innovation to empower youth and advance sustainability makes her the ideal leader for this pivotal role,” says Andrew Baird, CEO of EFE. “Her strategic vision will drive EFE’s mission to new heights.”

Since joining EFE in 2015, Ashley has led a range of initiatives to advance innovation across technology, impact measurement, strategy, and education. Ashley engaged EFE colleagues across nine countries in MENA to roll out the Salesforce platform for increased cross-Network collaboration, unified and rigorous impact measurement, and enhanced experience for EFE’s 20,000 annual youth participants. Ashley has been a driving force behind EFE’s thought leadership, authoring influential reports on youth and women’s employment in MENA, including COVID-19 and Youth Employment in Jordan and Palestine: Impacts, Opportunities, and a Way Forward; Youth and Women’s Employment in Algeria: Barriers and Opportunities; and First Jobs for Young Women in the Middle East & North Africa: Expectations and Reality.

“I am delighted to take on the role of Vice President for Strategy and Impact at this pivotal moment in which the EFE Network is outlining its 2030 Strategy. Having approached a key milestone of connecting nearly 200,000 youth to the world of work, EFE is poised to work hand-in-hand with young people to expand opportunities as we enter a phase of unprecedented technology transformation and the green transition. I am energized by the possibilities.” - Ashley Barry

Ashley began her career at Facebook, contributing to product expansion in MENA, supporting the launch of the company’s first Arabic-language site. In corporate and foundation relations at The Nature Conservancy, she worked with a team of fundraisers grossing $20 million per year. Ashley also served as an international observer with the Carter Center during the 2014 parliamentary elections in Tunisia.

A native of California, Ashley holds a BA in Near Eastern Languages and Literature: Arabic with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She studied at the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad at the American University in Cairo, studied and taught at the Middlebury Arabic School, and holds certificates in design thinking, change leadership, and systems thinking. In addition to Arabic, Ashley is fluent in Spanish and has working proficiency in French.  

When taking a break from working on EFE initiatives, Ashley can be found exploring hiking and running trails across the Middle East and the underwater world of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba as a PADI divemaster.  

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