Founder | Her World Initiative Ashton Justice grew up in the downriver area and moved to Dexter ~5 years ago. She attended University of Michigan Dearborn for her undergraduate studies and has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s in business and executive leadership. She is a corporate major gifts fundraiser at the University of Michigan and has spent the last three years working primarily on a $10M clinical facilities campaign for the School of Dentistry. She also collaborates on a few other projects including sponsored research efforts, a global PHI initiative, and student support - particularly for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
In the summer of 2011 Ashton’s ex husband, a Detroit police officer, attempted to murder her via strangulation at their home. She narrowly escaped with her life, thanks to a neighbor who intervened. Justice was never served and he continues to wreack havoc in her life, using her eldest daughter and the Wayne County family court system as a vehicle. Upon exiting her violent intimate partner relationship Ashton began to recognize a desire to understand the complexities of what had happened to her. Her pursuit of knowledge grew into a passion for affecting change and a new life mission: to empower domestic violence victims, protect their children, and stop domestic violence in it’s tracks by eradicating the disease instead of managing the symptoms. In 2018 she made her biggest step yet in accomplishing that and established Her World Initiative.
Ashton takes a progressive approach as the leader of the HWI team. She believes that her role is to inspire and support her team as individuals, providing them with opportunities to access their creativity and apply their passion in ways that advance the HWI mission. Ashton lives with an invisible disability that directly resulted from the abuses she has endured. Consequently she understands the value of self-care and actively encourages her team to practice it. She practices her own self-care through yoga, running, reiki, and meditation.
In addition to her non-profit ventures and professional career, she loves to travel and have fun. She is a strong proponent of nights out and long weekends away with her girlfriends, is on a bowling league (high game of 183), and regular host of game night. Ashton’s home is always open to her large circle of friends. She believes in loving fiercely, laughing often, and telling the truth. Most importantly, Ashton is a single mother to two daughters, aged 10 and 4. She loves being a mom and says that her daughters are the reason she gets up every day and persists in a world that has been unfair to her - to make the world a better and safer place for them.
