Ashley Merryman

Ashley Merryman is an author and attorney. With Po Bronson, she’s written two New York Times bestsellers, NurtureShock and Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, bylines for many national publications, and The Sherwood Report, her newsletter on the science of leadership. From 2018-2020, she served at the Pentagon, first, as the Special Advisor on Diversity and Inclusion to the Chief of Naval Operations, and then as Special Advisor for the Department of the Navy’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. Merryman is currently a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Joint Special Operations University. The views expressed in this piece do not reflect that of the Defense Department or the Joint Special Operations University.