With Tuesday's appointment of Charles Ashley III to lead the city of Albuquerque's economic development department, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller filled a key vacancy in his administration.
This won't be Ashley's first time working in local government, but this will be his highest level of work in the public sector yet. As director, he will oversee and help implement Albuquerque's economic vision. To do so, he hopes to put years of experience in the startup sector to use beginning in February.
Ashley is well known among Albuquerque entrepreneurs particularly for Cultivating Coders, which teaches web and mobile app development to youth and adults with a focus on rural, tribal and underserved urban areas. He has also sat on the boards of several nonprofits.
Albuquerque Business First caught up with Ashley to get his take on Albuquerque's economy and his new leadership position.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Albuquerque Business First: Why was this position of interest to you?
Ashley: "It was funny because I was actually on a trip [late last year] finishing up some business that we were getting done and [the mayor] joked [and] said 'Hey you know, would you be interested in this position?' [and] I would hang up on him. In all fairness, it was a humbling and honoring gesture by Mayor Keller. And so I thought about it for a while. We went back and forth. I spoke with a few people.
But really at the end of the day this is a place [where] this type of position you do have a direct hand in some of the economic decisions that will take place. Or you'll have a direct impact on ideas or different types of deals that are being conducted. So for me, it was more of a 'Why not serve your city in that capacity, in place that you love so much, and see what you can do with it?'"
How will your experience as a business owner and entrepreneur inform the way you approach this position?
"I would think as a business owner I can look at things from the business owner lens right?... I know the value of resources whether that's funding, whether that's technical support or whatnot. Also from a business owner, you learn how to be as resourceful as possible as well...
The entrepreneur side of me, you do also have to be aggressive... Government doesn't move as quickly as the private sector but I also feel like that business owner spirit and entrepreneurial spirit hopefully will allow me to be as aggressive as possible in this new role for the city."
What types of resources do you believe entrepreneurs need more of in Albuquerque?
"You're always going to hear funding right? And rightfully so, because funding is such a vital part of being not just an entrepreneur but being a business owner, being a creator, being an artist or whatnot. Funding is always going to be number one. I also believe that technical assistance is huge...
I mean like from the accounting to like, you're having a CPA. To working with groups like the SBA or [sic] and there are so many groups out here who lend these technical services that allow a business to be either stood up or allows the business to have their finances in place...
And then also just being connectors... If there's a way you can connect business owners or entrepreneurs to one another or other resources or programs or opportunities, I think that helps as well. Because you know when you're really in the grind of building something, your head is down and you're just going 100 miles per hour and sometimes you don't take time to come out of the grind to see what resources are out there. And I believe that connecting people with some of those resources I mentioned before are crucial."
