Ashlee Wilson is the Assistant General Manager for the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The Bowling Green Hot Rods is a minor league baseball team, the High A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. She is also the Morning Show Host for News 40 Sunrise, WNKY News 40, our local NBC/CBS station.
For the Hot Rods, Ashlee is a somewhat newly appointed leader as the Assistant General Manager (less than a year), making her the first female executive in Hot Rods history. This makes her “number two” in the organization, and she oversees the creative and community relations departments with the team.
Ashlee’s greatest influences have been both of her parents. “This might sound cliché, but they have equally influenced me to be a hard worker, to be an active member of society, to be a volunteer, and take care of those around me. Most recently, one of my greatest influences has been Julie Milam at WNKY. She is hands down one of the hardest working people I know, is a phenomenal leader, and I admire her tenacity and love for our community,” she added.
Ashlee believes her greatest career accomplishment to date is her promotion to Assistant General Manager with the Bowling Green Hot Rods. “This elevation confirmed me as the first female executive in the history of the franchise, and I’m very proud and humbled by that fact,” Ashlee says. “I believe it proves to other women, and not just women in sports, that there is room for us at the table in male-dominated fields.
“I believe my greatest personal accomplishment to date is moving back to Bowling Green and really living as my authentic self. There is something to be said about living in your truth, and the blessings that have come my way in the past two and a half years are things I will be eternally grateful for,” she added.
Ashlee feels her greatest life lesson she’s been taught up until this point is that life has a way of bringing the “good things” back around to you when you live in your truth.
“For several years, I was caught up living for someone else, living for other things, instead of living for myself. I was doing so much for others that I lost sight of who I was and what I wanted out of life. I had a hard time letting go of the life I thought I wanted and released myself into what I was meant to do and who I was meant to be. And now I am receiving abundance into my life in ways I had only dreamed of – in my career, with my family, in my relationships, and in my community.”
Even though the 2023 baseball season has wrapped, Ashlee is in 2024-mode. “Next season is our 15th season, so we are looking to make baseball and family-fun and Bowling Green Ballpark bigger and better than ever!”
Ashlee’s goal moving forward is to continue to make a steady, impact in Bowling Green and South Central Kentucky, whether it be through the Hot Rods, WNKY, volunteering, or supporting our various organizations in the area that help make our community a better place. “I love my community – I’ve moved away twice and have come back twice, and I have no intentions of going anywhere else.”
Aside from making history with the Bowling Green Hot Rods, last year Ashlee was also highlighted as one of Bowling Green’s 40 Under 40. “I also purchased my first home this year!”
“Most people I talk to these days don’t know that I went to school for Musical Theatre. Most assume I went to school for marketing or business. I am a proud graduate of WKU with a BFA in Performing Arts with a concentration in Musical Theatre. With this degree, I moved to NYC to pursue my dreams which was the launching pad of everything I am doing today.”
“I think my greatest adventure was my time in New York City. Three and a half years in my early 20s felt like a lifetime and a blink of an eye. I had the most fun, learned some wonderful lessons, and made lifelong connections.
In her free time, “What’s free time?! Just kidding,” she jokes. Ashlee loves some “self care.” With the schedule she keeps, she knows it’s important to take care of herself, so she enjoys the typical pampering like massages and facials. “I also love to indulge in as many live performances as I can, whether it be concerts or theatrical performances.”
Ashlee also believes that laughter is the best medicine, so she is currently listening to a comedy podcast from comedian Heather McMahon called Absolutely Not. “She and I are the same age, both have theatre degrees, lived in NYC at the same time, and will bust out into song at any given moment. She’s probably not for everyone, but she makes me laugh out loud!”
Ashlee’s bucket list includes travel. “I want to travel to Europe! Fr
ance, Italy, Greece…I want to see the best sites, drink the best wine, eat the best foods!”
You can see Ashlee every weekday morning at 6am on News 40 Sunrise, or running around the ballpark during the summer! But she can also be found at @theashleewilson on Instagram and Twitter.
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