Impact Awards History of Success: Ashley Herring

For the past 20 years, the Indiana Chamber’s Work and Learn Indiana program has celebrated work-based learning and the vital role it plays in fostering the state’s talent pipeline by honoring individuals and companies with the Impact Awards.

As we lead up to the unveiling of the 2026 Impact Award winners – to be announced February 12 at the Indiana Work-Based Learning Conference – we take a trip down memory lane and catch up with several past honorees.

Ashley Herring
Launching Global Careers

For Ashley Herring, director of enterprise Agile IT coaching at Cummins, the path to leadership started long before she stepped into roles guiding teams through complex organizational transformation.

Herring spent more than a decade navigating and influencing change inside large organizations. But she credits her perspective to an even earlier chapter. “Those experiences shaped how I lead today, each one building on the foundations that began during my internship, where curiosity, connection and a focus on meaningful outcomes first took root,” she says.

Herring’s career began at the Indy Chamber; there her internship became a catalyst for her future in Agile leadership. “It was the first place where I was encouraged to take initiative, improve processes and listen closely to customer feedback,” she recalls. “That experience taught me the value of planning, iteration and continuous improvement. … My internship taught me the power of listening, improving and leading from wherever you sit.”

Today, Herring partners with leaders and teams across Cummins to strengthen how they plan, collaborate and deliver value, helping build the clarity and alignment needed to support the company’s IT vision. Her leadership philosophy – steeped in empowerment, capability-building and shared purpose – grew from experiences that trace back to her earliest professional steps.

Internships, Herring believes, create space for young professionals to learn, experiment and realize their potential while contributing meaningfully to real work. “As an intern, you’re encouraged to ask questions, test ideas and contribute in ways that help you understand how organizations operate,” she asserts. It’s often the first chance to take a professional risk – something she notes becomes “a muscle you carry into every chapter that follows.”

Herring also is passionate about broadening access to internship experiences. Programs like Work and Learn Indiana, she says, play a critical role by ensuring students can find placements and step into them with confidence. “Equitable entry points matter,” Herring emphasizes.

One of the defining memories of her career beginnings was earning the Impact Award Intern of the Year in 2012. That moment she describes less as a personal accolade and more as a reflection of the women who supported her. “Their nomination meant more than the award itself, because it reflected the time, care and belief they invested in me,” Herring. reflects.

“These women gave me a soft seat to learn, experiment and find my footing, and their example has deeply influenced the kind of leader I strive to be. I carry their support with me by celebrating others, creating space for growth and lifting people the way they lifted me.”