Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Austin-Hill.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashley. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My journey as a Compliance Consultant began with my first job as an after-school supervisor for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas in 2005. While at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dallas I also worked in the Oak Cliff Boys & Girls Club during the summer and then I moved in a grant and data manager position in the Research and Development Department. I began to develop a heart for service but from an administrative, ethical and compliance perspective, After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 2009 I began working with individuals experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities at Dallas Metrocare Services (MHMR).
After leaving Metrocare, I worked for Health and Human Services as a surveyor/investigator for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult daycares. I enjoyed the industry, but as a surveyor, your job involves being punitive. I am a helper and wanted to show the professionals within those facilities how to fix their issues. I also had a side business where I organized residential homes and small businesses. So I thought to myself “how do I put these things together. I am an organizer by nature. I love implementing structure and solving problems, and I want to help residential care homes provide quality care. So I began Real. Organized. Advocacy in 2017.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I can assure you that this road has not been smooth, but worth it. When you become an entrepreneur you have to shift your thinking. You have to face all of your “isms” and then you have to rid yourself of them or get held back. I have ended relationships and ideologies. Where I once was the go-to person for many others I had to fall back. I had to be selfish with my energy and time to some extent and that has been my biggest hurdle.
I also have faced financial hardships in chasing this dream, but what entrepreneur hasn’t. I have taken on part-time jobs just to see this thing to fruition. And it’s been worth it. It also has added work to those who have supported me the most. My husband, Derek, has been an unmovable force during this time, supporting, being assistant, secretary, editor, and confidant. My mentors and sisters have loved me through and supported with their time and talents. I am forever grateful to them.
Please tell us about Real. Organized. Advocacy.
Real. Organized. Advocacy is a compliance consulting agency helping residential care home providers and human services organizations build advocacy into their operational structure. We help providers and organizations build policy and procedures unique to their programming. We offer corrective action plans to providers who are licensed by the state and are facing citations or violations. For new residential care providers, we offer start-up planning and assistance from developing training to developing the physical plant. And for existing providers, we offer compliance auditing.
Compliance is often overlooked when we are excited about a new business and can be difficult to navigate. I am most proud that I can offer that assistance to people who wish to serve others with the ability to translate and make it plain.
There are other consultants in the industry, with varying backgrounds and levels of experience but I am the only Ashley Austin-Hill with a heart for advocacy in service, policy, procedure and organization. I believe service isn’t an action, but a way of existing and operating.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My grandfather, Rev. O. Thomas Austin, Sr., is a major influence in my life. As a child, I spent so much time with him I see him as my father. He would often help others in the neighborhood or the parishioners of the churches he pastored and I would often be along for the journey. My favorite times with him was after-school when he would pick me up, with my little brother in the car seat and we’d head home until my mom picked me up. He would make me read the dictionary or read out loud to him. After he fed us a good dinner, we’d watch Wheel-of-Fortune and then he would quiet down and study scripture or a book he was reading. He was forever building education and self-reliance within me. But he also provided a place of peace and safety.
Contact Info:
- Address: DEC @ Redbird
3662 W Camp Wisdom Rd #2044, Dallas, TX 75237 - Phone: 2144633124
- Email: ashley@roaconsulting.services
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realorganizedadvocacy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consultwithROA
- Other: roaconsulting.services
Image Credit:
Ashley Austin-Hill
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
