WGU Alumni Podcast
WGU’s alumni network now has more than 350,000 graduates living in all 50 states. The WGU alumni podcast highlights the incredible work that our alumni are doing in their local communities. We also share benefits, perks, resources and partner information to help our graduates stay engaged and get the most out of the alumni community.
WGU Alumni Podcast
From Donkeys to Data: Distinguished Graduate Ashley Emsweller Hungate’s Journey
On the next episode of the WGU Alumni podcast, Ashley Emsweller Hungate —public servant, farm mom of four, and WGU alum—shares her journey of turning nonstop motion into focused momentum. From mini donkeys braying during proctored exams to leading culture and talent at Indiana’s Management Performance Hub, Ashley shows how purpose and practicality can thrive together.
She shares how earning an MBA amid family and farm life built confidence, opened new career lanes, and helped her turn data into public good. We also trace the roots of Indiana’s Statehouse Market, a farmers market turned food ecosystem, and the simple advice from her grandfather that still fuels her drive: map the steps, begin, and keep moving.
Hey everybody, welcome to the WGU Alumni Podcast. We're thrilled to have you tuning in yet again, everybody. My name is Jeff Burton. I'm the senior manager of alumni engagement here at WGU. And we are excited for today's guest, uh Ashley Emsweller Hungate. I'm super excited for Ashley, who has a very unique story. I'm excited for her to join the podcast and to share that with our growing audience. So, Ashley, good day to you. Thank you for your time.
SPEAKER_01:Jeff, thanks for having me here.
SPEAKER_00:All right, Ashley, let's jump in. When you started your WGU journey, you had four kids, a full-time job, a side gig, and a farm. Uh, tell me more about that journey and and what that looked like.
SPEAKER_01:I had always wanted to get my MBA before I hit 40 years old. And it was getting closer and closer to that age. And um, I had just had my fourth child. He was sitting next to me on the bed. He was three months old. I was doing some work for my side gig one evening, and my toddler came tearing through the bedroom. My two older boys were chasing after her, and I looked at them running and screaming through my bedroom, looked at the stationary baby, looked at them, looked at the baby, and I realized that I was never going to be less busy in the next 18 years than I was right at that moment when he wasn't walking yet. And right then and there, I switched tabs and applied to WGU with the hopes that I could get my MBA as quick as I could before he started walking and joined the parade of screaming chaos.
SPEAKER_00:I understand that public service runs in your blood. 95 years in your family of experience. Explain why that's important to you.
SPEAKER_01:Service was always a component in our household. My brother's a firefighter in Evansville, and I'm still working for the state of Indiana, and I'm just hoping that we can break that 100-year mark. If you have the ability to give back and to do good and improve your hometown, why wouldn't you? My dad always cited a quote that said, There is no greater service than to do good for others and to do it well. And I try to live by that every day.
SPEAKER_00:That's a great mantra. You're the chief of staff for the Indiana Management Performance Hub. Tell me about that role. What does a chief of staff do? What does your day-to-day look like? And tell me some of the projects you're working on.
SPEAKER_01:Sure. So the Indiana Management Performance Hub is the data and analytics support agency for all other state agencies as well as some external researchers. So we see data as an asset. We want to glean insights from it and make government as efficient as possible. My role in that as chief of staff is really to take on the people side of things and make sure things are communicated out well, to make sure that we have the right job classifications, the right people in the right positions, and that we're really building a culture that is furthering that mission while also making it a desirable place to be employed.
SPEAKER_00:What would you say is the best part about working for the state?
SPEAKER_01:Every day you come in and you're serving a purpose. Like you know why you're coming to work. You're helping improve lives for the people in Indiana. Um, you're finding ways to make things better. And I can see it both at the state level. And when I go home every day, it's impacting my community as well.
SPEAKER_00:What inspired you to go back to school?
SPEAKER_01:So I've always been a lifelong learner. Um, I mean, if WGU had a doctorate program or a law degree right now, I would be all over it. I'm never going to stop learning, no matter how old I am. But um when I decided to go back and get my MBA specifically, I had been doing communications work for the state for quite a while. And it seemed like I just kept getting pigeonholed into communications only roles. And it was very frustrating for me because people were making assumptions about what my skill set and abilities were, and they weren't really taking into consideration that for a communications director to do a good job, they have to know more about the agency than anyone else. And so I decided that the best way to kind of break out of that mold was to go back and get my NBA and show that I could do the more financial technical side of things as well.
SPEAKER_00:What held you back from doing it sooner?
SPEAKER_01:You know, life for kids, um finding the right program because I live in the middle of Indianapolis and Cincinnati. So most traditional programs weren't going to fit my schedule or geographical location. Um, I didn't want to be stuck in a classroom an hour away from my kids on weeknights on a set schedule. I didn't want it to take years and years. I didn't like the investment I was going to have to make. And so I was pretty picky on what I was willing to entertain to achieve my goals. And um, right around that time, WGU Indiana was really gaining steam and starting a scholarship program at the state. And I was involved in helping make that happen for state employees. And as I learned more about it, I thought, you know, this is the right program for me. This is what's going to make it happen.
SPEAKER_00:What's something unexpected you gain from returning to school?
SPEAKER_01:You know, it was really the confidence that I could do more than communications. I always knew I had the ability, but having those letters behind my name showed everybody else that I could do it. And I mean, face it, we all get imposter syndrome once in a while, right? Like, oh, am I really ready for that? I'm not sure. And also just showing what I could do with everything going on in my life, with my job, my side job, my four kids, and my mini donkeys on my farm, I still was able to carve out time to make a difference for me. And that showed that once I had that MBA, there was still that block of time there that I could use to have an impact elsewhere.
SPEAKER_00:What is your best proctored exam story uh during your experience at WGU?
SPEAKER_01:One of the biggest challenges of getting my degree was getting my small farmhouse kitchen cleared enough that the proctor said it was okay to even start the exam. There were times where my younger children were licking the doors window in the kitchen, making noise, calling for me, that I had to turn the camera and say, they're not feeding the answers, they're just licking the window. Or one time my donkeys were outside the window making a lot of noise, and I had to stop the test and say, I'm sorry, my donkeys are hungry. Um, there was a time a dump truck's tire exploded in the road outside of my house during a test. It's I always tried to schedule them so hopefully my children would be asleep and it would be quiet in the house, but that didn't always happen. And there was always something chaotic in the middle of those tests. But you just learn to roll with it. And I mean, the outcome is still the same, right?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I wonder if those proctors believed you. They're like, come on, you're your donkeys, really.
SPEAKER_01:I was like, I'm sorry, my donkeys are outside making a lot of noise. And they're like, could you say that again?
SPEAKER_00:Real quick, tell me, tell me the animals that you have on your farm.
SPEAKER_01:So we've got three mini donkeys, five rescue dogs, and then my four feral children.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Always exciting over at your household, it sounds.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. We have a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_00:I want to look forward now for a moment. And that is uh, what's a personal or a professional goal that you're focused on?
SPEAKER_01:So the AI certificate is a professional goal for me right now. And, you know, we're in a new administration with the state of Indiana, and just seeing what those opportunities are, I'm always willing to grow and be challenged and see where the next thing's going to take us.
SPEAKER_00:That's great. I love that about you. You mentioned lifelong learner. I think that's awesome. Now, Ashley, one of the favorite things about my job is I get to connect with and be inspired by graduates every day. And um, you are super successful uh across a range of industries, again, all that you are doing. And so I wanted to ask you if you had uh a life hack or maybe something that you've learned in your experience and your time that has really made a difference and that you might be able to share with me and our audience?
SPEAKER_01:Oh gosh, I think one of my biggest ones is from my grandfather. Um, he had a lot of funny sayings, but a lot of them rang true in life. And one of them was he would always tell me when I was having a bad day, he goes, Ash, you know, it takes just as much energy to have a good day as it does a bad day. So why don't you turn it around and use that energy to make it a good day?
SPEAKER_00:I love that. How often do you think about that advice?
SPEAKER_01:Oh gosh, every day. Every day I think about him and something that he has said. But I mean, I always go back to that. Whenever, like, I'm in a mood, I'm in a funk, things aren't going well, that is the one I go back to. Nope. Use the energy to make it a good day.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that's that's great. In addition to that advice and that life hack and that counsel, what advice would you have for someone that's maybe listening or watching this podcast, wondering if it's too late for them to pursue their dreams or their goals?
SPEAKER_01:Plan it out, make it happen. I I look back to the several years that I didn't pursue public office or that I was still thinking about getting the degree. And I could have been using that brain power to actually make it happen. Now, I mean, some will say that there's a time and a season for everything, right? But sometimes you just have to break through your own barriers and do it for yourself. Take that first step, then take the next step after that until you've reached the finish line.
SPEAKER_00:Ashley, you started the state house market uh several years ago, and I understand it's still rolling on today. It's still super successful. Can you tell us a little bit about what that was and what it looks like?
SPEAKER_01:Sure. So back in 2012, when I was with the Indiana State Personnel Department, we had a lot of wellness initiatives happening. But um one of the things we really wanted to address was getting fresh produce to our employees in a meaningful way. And we had about 16,000 state employees on our Indianapolis campus at the time. So we established a weekly farmers market from May to October, where we brought in a mix of local food trucks as well as farmers so that people could get a fresh lunch and then also shop for a healthy dinner. And when we first started doing that, it was amazing. The food trucks were selling out every single day. They had the best lunches of the week on our farmers market. People were buying up produce by the bagfuls. It was like they had never seen asparagus before. And um, it was just really exciting to see state employees gathering together, having fun, getting fresh food for their families to eat there and to take home. But then the coolest thing is that I didn't expect, we created this little agricultural ecosystem that was amazing. So if we could get the food trucks to agree to use some of our farmers' produce in their entrees, we would give them additional days at the market throughout the season. And so all of a sudden, you had these farmers partnering with these food trucks. They were making special dishes that um featured whatever was in season, whether it was Van Antwerp's Fresh Tomatoes or somebody else's peaches. And to see them all working together and their businesses growing and expanding because of our market was so exciting to me. And it's now in its 12th year. They had to take a year off for COVID, but it's still going strong. It has grown, and people still love it. It's a centerpiece of the west side of Indianapolis.
SPEAKER_00:All right, Ashley. Uh, we have a new segment, and I would like to uh tee this up. We're calling it from the nest. First question for you early bird or night owl?
SPEAKER_01:Early bird, definitely.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Uh, first thing you do in the morning.
SPEAKER_01:Uh walk my dogs.
SPEAKER_00:What's one word to describe the moment you completed your WG degree?
SPEAKER_01:Uh thrilling.
SPEAKER_00:Favorite late night study snack?
SPEAKER_01:Something crunchy.
SPEAKER_00:All right. Other than the one that you gave us from your grandpa, what is a quote or a mantra you live by?
SPEAKER_01:Um, another one from my grandpa is you're never lost if you're not out of gas.
SPEAKER_00:I love. We could have a whole whole uh section on this. Love it. Uh what's the best thing about working on a farm?
SPEAKER_01:I think it's really seeing my children learning the value of hard work, but also compassion and empathy towards the animals. Like you may having a may be having a bad day, but the animals don't care. Like they still need you and they're still going to love you. And so seeing the kids develop those skills is really important to me. Plus, it's a lot of fun and we love being in nature.
SPEAKER_00:That's great. Um, and lastly, what makes you proud to be a WGU alum?
SPEAKER_01:Oh my gosh. So WGU really serves the entrepreneurial spirit. It's um full of builders, people that are willing to get things on their own timeline, on their own terms. They have to make it happen. It's not driven by anybody else. Like WGU provides the infrastructure and all the support that you need, but you've got to go get it. And it's your degree is yours to do with what you want, and it is what you may get.
SPEAKER_00:What's one thing you love about your local community or the place that you call home?
SPEAKER_01:Sure. So the thing I love about Greensburg and Decatur County is people show up for each other. If they see a way to help and to make things better, they're gonna show up and they're gonna do it. Now we're not all perfect and we don't always get it right the first time, but we work hard and we help each other.
SPEAKER_00:That's awesome. Ashley, this has been so great. It's been uh great seeing you again and connecting and having you share more of your story. As we conclude today's uh interview, I'd like to toss to you to uh give us the final word.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so as an 80s kid that has a little bit of neurodiversity thrown in there, um, when you told me I was gonna have the final word, I kind of took it a little bit literally. And so Pee Wee's Playhouse used to have the secret word of every episode. And in season three, episode one, the secret word was now, meaning go do it now, apply now, get it done now.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. I don't think we've ever quoted Pee Wee Herman on this podcast.
SPEAKER_01:But well, that's what you get when you invite me places.
SPEAKER_00:Spot on. Great having you on. Continued success to you, Ashley. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:All right, thank you for tuning in today. Uh, for more information about the WGU alumni community, we invite you to go to WGU.edu slash alumni. Thank you for being part of our Night Owl network, and thank you for tuning in today. Have a great day, everybody. Thank you for listening to the WGU Alumni Podcast.