Ashley Salmon, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Research Associate at the Center for Leadership in Disability at the School of Public Health has been awarded the 2022 Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Award.

The Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Awards acknowledge the exceptional commitment of individuals and academic units/departments who successfully promote social justice and equity, increase access and participation, and work towards inclusive excellence.

Ms. Salmon has been a leader in inclusive excellence for nearly five years since arriving at Georgia State. Our JEDI staff award winner has made her presence known with her consistent participation with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Multicultural Council (MCC), which has led her to earn contracted roles with AUCD. She has served as an AUCD Research Consultant twice since December 2020. One of her roles was to ensure a diverse and meaningful representation of study participants with autism and other intellectual/developmental learning differences via the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network in partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine.

“Ashley Salmon integrates diversity, equity, and inclusion into everything she does. She lives it, promotes it, and teaches it to others. There is no one more deserving of this recognition than her,” said Dr. Emily Graybill, Director, Center for Leadership in Disability.

Ms. Salmon is uniquely positioned to be a leader in diversity efforts based on her background in Biostatistics, exploring evidence-based practices to best serve individuals with disabilities and their families across racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. She earned her Master of Public Health in Biostatistics at Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Georgia.

“Increasing equitable access to meaningful opportunities for our most marginalized communities (i.e., people with disabilities across racial, ethnic, and cultural groups) is at the heart of the work many of us have committed to at the Center for Leadership in Disability. As a passionate advocate for equity, I’ve seen that access is at the center of equity. I believe equity is unachievable until it becomes a practical and measurable reality(across government institutions, universities, and programmatic activities),” said Ms. Salmon. “I’m honored to have been awarded the JEDI Staff award. This award propels me to continue the work, build coalitions, and explore innovative and sustainable ways to measure equity.”

The JEDI award is sponsored by Deluxe Corporation and the Office of the Provost.