Ashanti Martin is a veteran writer and strategic marketing leader with more than 20 years of media experience spanning newspaper journalism, higher education, and startup organizations. She is general manager of WURD Radio in Philadelphia, a multiplatform media company and one of only three independent Black talk radio stations in the country. Her work as an activist, speaker, and influencer focuses on the intersection of communication, technology, Black culture, and the workplace. In October 2020, Ashanti wrote an article for the Sunday edition of The New York Times about Black LinkedIn that galvanized a movement to transform the workplace experience for Black and other marginalized communities. She and her work have been featured in numerous publications including Forbes, NPR, Reuters, and USA Today.Ashanti was born and raised in Yonkers, N.Y. and attended Rutgers University, where she received her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism and communication. Ashanti was a staff writer and criminal justice reporter at The Record newspaper in New Jersey and held marketing and communication roles at Rutgers, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Wharton School. For her work, she has won awards from the Garden State Journalists Association, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and the Germantown Mennonite Church. Ashanti is a strategic communications consultant, advising on a broad spectrum of topics including but not limited to content strategy, executive communication, board and VIP relations, and fundraising and philanthropy.