Our Stories

Gaining Her Own Identity

Poehler look-alike takes big career step

Ashley Welnhofer Forman
Sr. Manager, Consumer and Innovation Insights, Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.

Vanderbilt MBA 2013

If you see Amy Poehler on campus at Vanderbilt, don’t gawk. It’s Ashley, and it happens all the time.

“People say I look a lot like her,” says Ashley (Welnhofer) Forman of the comedian who serves as her doppelganger. And, like Poehler, a veteran of the Second City comedy troupe, Ashley worked in Chicago (in advertising, for BBDO) before launching the next phase of her career.

She chose to pursue an MBA because of her interest in taking on responsibilities for marketing beyond the realm of advertising. She chose Vanderbilt because of its “strong marketing department” and the intimate classroom size that would allow her to participate more readily. She’s also found the Owen community to be a great place for her to join clubs like the Vanderbilt Marketing Association (she is currently serving as club president), and to volunteer and take advantage of the range of activities Nashville offers.

For someone who grew up, went to college and worked in Chicago (she was on the varsity swim team at Northwestern), coming to a different part of the country might have seemed like a leap of faith. But “I’ve liked it a lot,” Ashley says. “It was an easy transition. And I do love country music.”

After her first year, which she says “exceeded my highest expectations,” Ashley earned a brand management internship with MillerCoors, back in her hometown. And while she may still be mistaken for Amy Poehler, she’s well on her way to establishing her own career identity.