Ashley Bell Barnett is a philanthropist, education advocate and public servant. She is a member of the Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation Board of Directors, a board member of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, a member of the United Way of Central Florida Board of Directors and a board member of Polk State College District Board of Trustees.
Governor Barnett holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Florida and received her bachelor’s degree from Florida Southern College. She is a graduate of Leadership Polk (Class XII), Leadership Florida Education (Class III), and Leadership Los Angeles (Class VI).
Governor Barnett was appointed to the Board of Governors in November 2023 and appreciates the opportunity to positively impact higher education at the state level. Governor Barnett advocates for educational, health-focused, and women’s empowerment organizations through her work with the Talbot House Ministries Board, the Lakeland Regional Hospital Foundation Board, as Chairwoman of the Polk Type One Diabetes Support Group, the Board of Lakeland Leads, and outreach for Florida Polytechnic University as a Pivot Fellow.
Governor Barnett is a fifth-generation Floridian and lives in Winter Haven with her husband, Wesley, and their two daughters. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family, spending time with her adopted sister from Latvia, and cheering on the Florida Gators football team.