Meet Ashley Mancheni. She’s a Senior Program Associate with the Public Affairs Council where she leads their social media programs.

Ashley was nice enough to answer a few questions for one of our Famous 5 interviews.

What is the Public Affairs Council?

The Council is a trade association for public affairs professionals; non-political and non-partisan. We’re a rare breed in DC in that we don’t lobby. We train and educate people that lobby, run PACs, conduct grassroots advocacy, oversee corporate social responsibility programs and communications within corporations and associations.

You’ve got a free afternoon in D.C. – what are you doing? Where are you going?

It’s totally dependent on the weather since the summer is painfully humid and the winter is too cold; but for the about 5 weeks that it is nice out, I love sitting on patios and having a beer with friends. My favorite neighborhood bar is Cleveland Park Bar and Grill. If it’s spring, I’m probably wandering around the zoo, primarily the aviary to figure out which bird is waking me up at 4:30. On any given evening, you might find me at one of DC’s classy karaoke bars.

How did you end up in the nation’s capital?

I, like 90% of DC majored in political science. I grew up in Spokane, WA. I did a short stint in Lake Tahoe as a blackjack dealer with my best friend, and then packed up my champagne-colored ’98 Pontiac Bonneville and headed east. I know that sounds like a bad Lifetime movie, but it’s actually the truth. And, I’m still here 6 years later.

What is your role with the Public Affairs Council?

I manage our social media platforms (follow us on Twitter @PACouncil), and provide training and advice to Council members on ways to integrate social media into their public affairs programs.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Funny you should ask, since we have that debate frequently at our office. I would be granted the ability to teleport. I have a fear of missing fun, so I’d be able to do more and go more places if the metro, cabs, and traffic didn’t interfere.