Recognizing Rockefeller Center Student Program Assistant: Ashley Dotson ‘18

Ashley Dotson ’18 first became involved with the Rockefeller Center by participating in the Global Leadership Development Program (RGLP) her sophomore winter and then participating in the Management and Leadership Development Program (MLDP) the following spring. She found her experience with RGLP to be “interesting and rewarding.” Thus, she continued staying involved with the Rockefeller Center and now works as a Student Program Assistant for MLDP.

Ashley remembers a conversation she had with Sadhana Hall, Deputy Director of the Rockefeller Center, her sophomore fall about the importance of leadership and the different ways she can become more involved with Rocky. According to Ashley, she was drawn to MLDP because “it is a unique program at the Rockefeller Center that reaches out to a variety of students. MLDP influences all of campus, especially within student organizations because many student leaders choose to participate in MLDP.” Ashley also enjoys how her position allows her to meet people from different areas of Dartmouth’s community, which shows the vast impact the program has on campus.

The Rockefeller Center encourages student staff to set professional development goals each term. When she started her position, one of Ashley’s goals was to improve her speaking and communication skills. By serving as a leader to students participating in MLDP, she has many opportunities to practice these skills. Certain aspects of her role, for instance, include introducing key speakers and facilitating small student group discussions within sessions.

Some of Ashley’s responsibilities involve analyzing student surveys at the end of each session and producing summaries for her supervisor, Robin Frye. She also collaborates with the other student program assistants to brainstorm overall program improvements each week and contributes to the program’s marketing and outreach endeavors.

Robin Fyre remarks that she has “enjoyed watching Ashley grow into a confident young professional over the last few terms.” As Ashley’s supervisor, Robin notes how she “relies on Ashley’s consistency, reliability, commitment, and autonomy” as her student program assistant for MLDP. Ashley is grateful to have Robin’s support and describes Robin as being “energetic and enthusiastic for the program.”

Having the opportunity to experience each MLDP sessions multiple times, Ashley has grown to become an “MLDP expert on skills.” She has seen how the program has evolved and how sessions have been enhanced over time, which allows her to gain better insight on how to market MLDP across campus and how to be a better student leader. As an executive board member of the National Society of Black Engineers at Dartmouth, Ashley found that she was able to use her skills as an MLDP Program Assistant to help make this organization thrive on campus.

One of the most important skills Ashley feels she has learned working for the Rockefeller Center is accountability. According to Ashley, “everything you do has a direct impact on how the program functions,” which is a skill she applies to her role at Rocky as well with her academics and her leadership roles.  

Ashley is from Miami, Florida and is studying architecture at Dartmouth. She is currently involved with Green Key Society, the Theater department, and works for the Hop as a House Manager for shows.

- Submitted by Bethany Malzman '19, Rockefeller Center Student Program Assistant for Communications