Partner, Bowles Rice LLP
By Samantha Cart
Growing up in Ripley, WV, Ashley Hardesty Odell’s earliest jobs put her in contact with a variety of people from all walks of life, inspiring in her a desire to learn more about diverse perspectives. From babysitting to teaching piano lessons to working as a bank teller to interning for the Governor’s Honors Academy, Odell’s formative years were filled with interactions that taught her about the importance of diversity and inclusion.
“My mother is a teacher and my father is a lawyer, and from them I learned the value of commitment, hard work and service to others,” says Odell. “Thanks to their example, I always wanted to be a mother, a teacher and a lawyer, and I’m lucky to be all three.”
During her first year of law school at West Virginia University (WVU), Odell clerked with Bowles Rice, where today she serves as the firm’s diversity partner. In this role, she focuses on increasing awareness of issues that impact women and other diverse lawyers in the development of their practice like bias, wage gaps and equal opportunity. She is also an advocate for diversity outside her office, volunteering as a mentor at the WVU College of Law through the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, where she is a member of the 2019 fellows class, and as co-chair of the Morgantown Area Partnership’s diversity committee.
“I have always championed diversity and inclusion in my personal life but mostly in an informal way,” she says of her passion. “As my career has developed, I have seen how the absence of diversity and inclusion impacts our communities. We live in a big world of small groups and communities, and those groups are not always inclusive. I believe individuals should feel free to be genuine and authentic without fear of exclusion. If West Virginia is going to compete in the big world, we need to embrace diversity and promote inclusion.”
Today, Odell focuses her practice on litigation and labor and employment law, including counseling and advising employers on workplace issues such as discrimination, harassment, wage and hourly issues, workplace safety and employment agreements. While she is committed to her work, her greatest successes have not come from winning arguments or closing deals.
“Those are my clients’ successes, and I am honored to play a part in those accomplishments, but my view of my own personal success is more fluid,” she says. “I feel the most successful on days when those closest to me are happy.”
Odell’s core values of encouraging and promoting others are obvious in her commitment to making West Virginia a better place. She currently serves as the president of United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties, where she is also a member of the personnel and nominating committees; chair of the diversity working group for the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce; and a member of the visiting committee for WVU College of Law. She is one of the founders of Generation Morgantown, the idea of which grew from a desire to create an inclusive community for young professionals with opportunities for mentorship and growth. Over the years, she has served on the economic development committee for Generation West Virginia and as a member of the Power of 32 steering committee.
It is her family, especially her husband, Shawn, and two children, Maggie and Wesley, that keeps her motivated.
“Having candor, patience and just enough sass has had a great influence on my success, but, without question, I am where I am now because of the support of my parents, my husband, a handful of incredible mentors and my dearest friends,” she says.
Odell is proud that her amazing support system, her challenging career and the opportunity to promote diversity can all be found in her home state of West Virginia.
“West Virginia is and always will be home, and my family will always be Mountaineers,” she says. “I love the mountains because they make me feel sheltered and safe, I love the people because they are genuine and hardworking, and I love the opportunities we have as West Virginians to really facilitate change and progress.”
