Ashli Doss: A beautiful gift of gab

BY DEXTER MCCREE, Feature Writer

ST. PETERSBURG — It was in elementary school when Ashli Doss realized she had the gift of gab.  She was chosen to be an anchor for her school’s morning news show at Woodlawn Elementary. During that time, she could recall her mother watching Bay News 9 where she was inspired by local anchor Erica Riggins. From there, her interest in communications grew.

“I loved to talk and share stories with my family and friends,” said Doss. “I enjoyed speaking and participating in groups particularly at church. I was a social butterfly.”

When she became a student at Lakewood High School, she had the opportunity to participate in CATCOM, a morning news program in partnership with WTVT-Fox 13 in Tampa.

Upon high school graduation, Doss attended Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. There, for the first time, she was away from her family and the strong support they offered.  It was also there at the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication where she honed her skills in television news as a broadcast journalist. Her friends and mentors became her family away from home.

During her sophomore year, she was selected to become a FAMU “News 20 at 5” anchor and also hosted a radio show on WANM 90.5, where she won her first Florida Associated Press award for “Best 15-Minute Radio Newscast.” Those skills gained in the newsroom helped Doss to complete a successful internship at CNN in Atlanta.

“FAMU was good for Ashli because it helped her realize her potential and that her goals were attainable,” said Delia Doss, her mother who by this time had moved to Georgia. “She knew that she had the support of her dad and Aunt Pat in St. Petersburg. Ashli wanted to explore the country, and I have to admit that was a little frightening to me.”

After graduating in the fall of 2013, Doss took a journey across the country for her first broadcast job in Great Falls, Mont., as a multimedia journalist. Whether she was covering breaking news of a high-speed chase or shedding light on child homelessness, Doss has always upheld the responsibility she has to the public by delivering news that’s accurate and fair.

In 2015 Doss returned to her hometown where she was then hired as a journalism instructor for the Tampa Bay Times’ Journeys in Journalism program at Melrose Elementary School.

She described the job as rewarding and impactful as she helped to develop the school’s newspaper and online website. Doss also enjoys being involved in her community and helping students become successful in the classroom.

In August she joined WJBF News Channel 6 in Augusta, Ga., as their newest morning reporter for “Good Morning Augusta.”

Doss is a current member of the National Association of Black Journalists and Educator Writers Association. In her spare time you can find her spending quality time with family, hanging out with friends, teaching Sunday School at her home church Prayer Tower Church of God in Christ or jamming out to her favorite Beyoncé songs.

She loves volunteering in her community and traveling to new places. Doss credits her success to God and those that have supported and invested in her career.

Like Ashli Doss on Facebook @AshliDossNews and follow her on Twitter @AshliDossWJBF.