Ashley Foley, a former Vicksburg resident and alumnus of The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Accountancy, was recently featured in USM’s Graduate School “Arete” publication. As part of the feature, Foley explained how her time at USM’s School of Accountancy helped prepare her for success in professional life.

In announcing her feature, the school posted to their Facebook page, “Ashley credits USM faculty and resources for her success and encourages students to utilize available tools for career preparation. She believes her experiences at Southern Miss equipped her for a successful career in accounting.”

Foley was featured in Arete’s Summer 2024 edition. To view the publication, click here.

According to the Arete feature, Foley earned a Bachelor of Science in forensic science, with emphasis in biological sciences, from USM and later returned to the school, earning a second bachelor’s degree in accounting. After completing her BSBA degree in Accounting in 2014, she entered USM’s Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) program and completed her graduate degree in 2015.

After obtaining her MPA graduate degree, Foley began her professional career by working with one of the “Big 10” public accounting firms known as RSM (previously McGladrey), located in McLean, Va., until December 2019. In January 2020, Foley began working at BDO USA, a public accounting firm in the Washington D.C. metro area.

Foley is a Warren Central High School graduate and the daughter of Mike Foley and current Vicksburg resident Lynn Foley, who serves as the executive director of sales and marketing for Southern Hospitality Services, LLC and is a longtime volunteer and advocate for the United Way of West Central Mississippi. Foley’s brother, Michael Foley, also a Vicksburg resident, is a relationship manager at the Cadence Bank branch in downtown Vicksburg.