Homegrown Talent: Meet the City of Newnan’s Communications Manager at Media Day

Ashley Copeland is a former student leader and a true success story from the garden of UWG Mass Communications. After transferring from Brewton-Parker College, Copeland climbed the ladder and served an outstanding tenure as the Editor in Chief of the West Georgian student newspaper, and is part of the class that brought weekly print news back to UWG. 

She also dabbled in the broadcasting spectrum as well, however Copeland found full-time work away from the field that was so natural for her. She made her way to work in public relations in the South Florida area with Piedmont Healthcare and eventually with Tenet Healthcare for several years. 

“My first job was thousands of miles from home, I was working with older people and in a management position for the first time, so things were tough for me,” Copeland says. “I doubted myself for a minute, but I knew I had the skills for my position. Luckily I had friends and family to lean back on for support and help.

In 2018 Copeland was able to make her way back home to Newnan, an East Coweta High alumni, and has been serving as the Communications Manager for the City of Newnan.

Copeland wants to continue giving back to UWG so the next person can follow in her footsteps knowing that there are fellow wolves out that rooting their success. Media Day provides the greatest opportunity to do just that.

“The people there helped me so much, Dr. Sewell always pushed me to write the perfect story, he saw the raw talent in me for print journalism and continued to push me to strive for the best,” said Copeland. “When I got my first job, he was one of the first people I told. Ms. Barnes was also someone that helped me a lot, she is a natural teacher and giver. She is someone I always come to visit at West Georgia. Those two really shifted my mindset and molded my career path now.”

Copeland is another pure example of your typical college student taking full advantage of the resources UWG provides, and finding unparalleled success through relentless work ethic once out in the world on your own.