Professor Ashley Keller Nelson is currently the only person in the school who has spent time as a graduate student, a staff member, and a faculty member with Freeman, where she is an exceptionally dedicated teacher.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Ashley Nelson's life is highly intertwined with her work at Tulane. Not only does she have a long history with the University - her mother was one of just four women in the business school when she graduated in the early 60s - many in her extended family hold degrees from several schools in Tulane including Newcomb during the early 1900s. Also, while growing up in New Orleans, she had excellent role models who taught her to give back to the community. Since 2006, Professor Nelson has partnered with dozens of local non-profits enabling her students to act as consultants on a variety of projects gaining marketable skills in the workplace.

On nearly her third career as she says, Professor Nelson loves teaching and forms long-lasting connections with many of her students, writes countless recommendation letters, connects them with local businesses and friends, and stays in touch long after graduation. Barely a week goes by when she does not get an email or text saying, "this is --, remember me?"