On April 28, 2017, Governor Nathan Deal announced the appointment of Carrie Ashbee as the Executive Director of Georgia Foundation for the Early Care and Learning foundation, effective July 1. Ashbee will oversee the newly created non-profit organization, with the primary purpose of supporting educational excellence for children and families. The program will promote partnerships between businesses, charities, institutions of higher education, local and public school systems and early care and education programs.
Ashbee previously worked in Washington D.C. , holding various positions such as executive assistant and scheduler with then-Congressman Deal. In 2011, she joined Gov. Deal in Georgia as his executive assistant and later in her current position as Deputy Chief of Staff of Executive Office Operations. Ashbee graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations. She is a native of Marietta, Georgia and currently serves as chair of the Capitol Arts Standards Committee overseeing the implementation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue on Capitol grounds. Ashbee and her husband, Blake, have one daughter.