Gov. Nathan Deal tapped Deputy Chief of Staff of Executive Office Operations Carrie Ashbee to head the newly created Department of Early Care and Learning foundation, which launches on July 1.

The nonprofit organization, called the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning, will promote partnerships between businesses, charities, institutions of higher education, local and public school systems and early care and education programs. Its purpose is to support educational excellence for children and families. Read more about the foundation’s mission here. 

Carrie Ashbee – Executive Director, Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning

Ashbee has worked for Gov. Deal for nearly a decade. She began her career in Washington, D.C., serving with then-Congressman Deal in various positions, including executive assistant and scheduler. In 2011, Ashbee returned to Georgia to join Gov. Deal as his executive assistant and later as deputy chief of staff. She currently serves as chair of the Capitol Arts Standards Committee overseeing the implementation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue on Capitol grounds. Ashbee graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations. She and her husband, Blake, have one daughter and are members of Northside United Methodist Church in Atlanta.