Ashley Ballard, 34 / Co-Founder & CEO, Adiabat Weather Consulting
Ashley Ballard, a Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM #785), leads Adiabat Weather Consulting, providing advanced weather forecasting and analytics to local businesses. She helps companies make safer, smarter and more efficient decisions by integrating historical, real-time and predictive weather data. Her work supports regional operations, improves safety and strengthens economic resilience across the Roanoke Valley.
Beyond her role at Adiabat, Ballard mentors students and young professionals in meteorology, serves on the board of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the American Meteorological Society and participates in GIS initiatives and other community-focused programs. She was recognized as a NOAA Weather Ready Nation Ambassador and won the Platinum Award in Virginia’s Gauntlet Business Competition for innovation, leadership and impact.
“Our work helps bring better weather prediction and analytical tools to local businesses,” Ballard says. “By empowering local companies with cutting-edge weather intelligence, we hope to help them operate more safely, reduce costs and improve their bottom line. I hope our work will ultimately strengthen our regional economy and make the Roanoke Valley more competitive and resilient.”
- Associate of Liberal Arts – Humanities, Danville Community College, 2010
- Bachelor of Arts – Geography (Minor: Environmental Science), Virginia Tech, 2013
- Bachelor of Science – Meteorology, Virginia Tech, 2013
- Master of Science – Geography, Virginia Tech, 2015
Community Involvement
- Roanoke Valley GIS Association - Ambassador and Charter Member
- Participates in annual volunteer work in the Roanoke Valley.
- Professional board member of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the American Meteorological Society.
- Mentor to student and young professionals in the meteorological community.
- Member of the National Weather Association’s (NWA) Membership and Marketing Committee
- Leads volunteer collaboration with Ad2 Roanoke, connecting the NWA with young professionals in advertising.
- Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce — Member
- Women in Data Science (WiDS), Virginia Tech Chapter — Guest Speaker (2022)
- Virginia Tech Computational Modeling and Data Analytics (CMDA) — Five-time financial and mentor sponsor of student-led capstone projects
Awards & Recognition
- Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) designation from the American Meteorological Society (#785)
- Platinum Winner, Gauntlet Business Competition
What inspires you to build your career in the Roanoke Valley?
“It is exciting to be a part of the growing community of small businesses here in the Roanoke Valley. The entrepreneurial spirit and collaborative nature of the business community make this an ideal place to build something meaningful. I'm inspired by the opportunity to contribute to the region's economic growth while staying connected to the unique character that makes life and business in the Roanoke Valley special.”
How do you hope your work or leadership will shape Roanoke’s future?
“Our work helps bring better weather prediction and analytical tools to local businesses. We find most of our clients are using outdated, simplistic weather information to make decisions around safety, efficiency and compliance. It is my hope that we can help businesses make better, faster, smarter decisions utilizing past, present and forecast weather data. By empowering local companies with cutting-edge weather intelligence, we hope to help them operate more safely, reduce costs and improve their bottom line. I hope our work will ultimately strengthen our regional economy and make the Roanoke Valley more competitive and resilient.”
From the Nomination: “Ashley is committed and dedicated to helping people make more informed decisions around weather. As a local, woman-owned small business, they're agile and deeply connected to the needs of the people they serve. Whether it’s a local business, agency, or global nonprofit, she meets people where they are and help them understand weather and climate risk with clarity and confidence. Living and working in Roanoke allows her to directly connect with the weather events that are most important to our community to foster a smarter, more resilient region."