Ashley Cooks became the Director of the Office of Government Ethics on December 2, 2021, after serving as the Acting Director for the prior six months. She has also served as the Supervisory Attorney Advisor and as the agency’s Interim General Counsel. Ms. Cooks began working at BEGA in 2015 as an Attorney Advisor.
Ms. Cooks began her legal career as a law clerk for the Senior Judges of the D.C. Court of Appeals and has also served at the United States Attorney’s Office (Civil Division) and the District of Columbia Council. Ms. Cooks is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the Greater Washington Area Chapter of the National Bar Association, the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, and the National Association of Black Compliance & Risk Management Professionals, Inc.
Ms. Cooks graduated from the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law and Southern University and A&M College. She is a native of New Orleans but currently resides in Ward 5 with her family.