Lovetta Ash-Simpson
Lovetta Ash-Simpson is an accomplished nonprofit leader and youth development advocate with more than two decades of dedicated service in Scouting. Since 2003, she has served with Prairielands Council, Scouting America, currently holding the role of District Director. In this capacity, she oversees approximately 1,500 Scouts and 400 volunteers, leading recruitment efforts for youth ages 5 to 21, young adults, and parents who support the program’s success. Her leadership centers on building strong community partnerships, cultivating volunteer engagement, and ensuring that every young person has access to meaningful growth opportunities through Scouting.
Lovetta’s journey into Scouting is uniquely personal and inspiring. She entered the field without prior experience, initially becoming involved when her son joined his second-grade Cub Scout pack. What began as parental support evolved into a lifelong calling. She had the privilege of guiding her son on his path to earning the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement in Scouting. Today, the legacy continues as her grandson participates in the Cub Scout program, making Scouting a proud, multi-generational tradition within her family. Lovetta often describes the program as “the classroom outdoors,” where young people develop character, leadership, and resilience while learning to appreciate nature and the diverse components of the Earth.
Before her tenure in Scouting, Lovetta served as a supervisor and field director for her parents’ janitorial and maintenance company, a family-owned business that operated successfully for 38 years. There, she developed strong operational, leadership, and people-management skills that continue to shape her professional approach. A natural relationship-builder, Lovetta attributes her love for meeting and connecting with people to her father’s family-oriented values and remarkable memory. A proud graduate of Tennessee State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Applied Science in Sociology, she brings more than 23 years of experience, passion, and dedication to her work. She considers it a privilege to serve and remains deeply committed to empowering youth and strengthening communities through Scouting.
• Tennessee State University -BS, Sociology
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated
• Professional Women's Association
• Champaign West Rotary
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being a people person. I genuinely like meeting and greeting people in person, which is something I probably got from my dad, who was very family-oriented and just loved meeting people and interacting in person. He had a memory like an elephant. Even though I appreciate technology and computers, I really prefer that personal, face-to-face connection. Unfortunately, that's something that's not so common these days when everything is online, texting, and Zoom calls, and COVID didn't help. But I believe that personal interaction and building genuine relationships is what has helped me succeed in my work with Scouting over these 23 years.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to be honest and carry yourself with integrity. This is what I was told even as a child. Treat people like you would want to be treated, so do unto others as you have them do unto you. That's the golden rule, and I've always lived by that.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that scouting is about character development and good citizenship, and those characteristics are not gender-specific. Women and men, young girls and young boys all need to carry those and be influenced by those particular characteristics. So I would just say come in with an open mind. We're one of the last youth organizations to come on board as co-ed, but it is definitely a great opportunity to explore and appreciate the outdoors. That's what I call it, the classroom outdoors. We do a lot of activities outside, not just camping, but learning about nature and how to appreciate the different components of Earth. I've learned a lot and never thought I'd be doing this professionally, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I really love what I do. As one of probably one of the few African American women in this field, there's not very many of us, and while that doesn't mean a whole lot to me, I do want to expose other young girls to say, hey, you can do this. It doesn't really matter about the color.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is having more access to kids. Kids are being pulled in so many different areas these days. Sports have taken over, especially with more traveling teams, and sports are year-round now. That's a big challenge for us to pull the kids in, because everybody thinks their kid is going to be the next Michael Jordan or Serena Williams. You've got kids that are 5 years old doing wrestling and on traveling teams. In our program, we make it flexible so you can come in anytime since we recruit 12 months out of the year. We don't believe in the approach where if you miss a practice, you get put on the bench. But it's still challenging going up against the sports programs that want the kids and don't allow them to miss practices. We still put it out there and keep recruiting, but that's been our biggest challenge.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me are being trustworthy, kind, and having integrity. I really believe in doing good when no one's watching. That's what a person's integrity is all about, and I believe that will take you a lot further in life. These values guide everything I do, both professionally and personally.