Let me be the first to tell you CONGRATULATIONS on your admission to the University of Oklahoma! I still remember the excitement of receiving my own admission packet and the joy of knowing where I would spend the next four years. I was the first in my immediate family to attend a four-year university, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I knew OU felt like home. Little did I know I was making one of the best decisions of my life, both as the foundation for my adult years and as the launch point for my career.
My name is Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes, and I’m a proud Sooner who graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering. I grew up in Choctaw, Oklahoma, and OU gave me opportunities that have shaped everything that’s come since.
After OU, I spent more than a decade building and investing in energy and mining projects around the world. Most recently, I lived in Washington, D.C., where I served as Deputy Director for Batteries and Critical Materials at the U.S. Department of Energy, deploying over $10 billion into America’s battery and critical minerals supply chain. Today, I live in Austin, Texas, with my husband and our two young daughters, and I’m Principal of Smoketree Resources, my family office, where I continue to invest in and advise companies across the global natural resources sector.
OU is also where I discovered my passion for entrepreneurship. I dove into everything from the Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth (which first sparked my entrepreneurial spirit), to organizing campus events through the Campus Activities Council, to studying abroad with the Honors College in China and Oxford. My time at OU wasn’t just about earning a degree; it was about growth, friendship, leadership, and finding the confidence to build the life I wanted.
The campus is big enough to give you opportunities across every interest imaginable, but small enough to truly feel like home. The lifelong friends I made at OU came from different backgrounds and pursued different paths, yet we all share that common Sooner bond. I’m confident that if you choose OU, you’ll create your own unique and amazing experience, just as I did.
Best of luck as you make your decision, and I truly hope you’ll join the OU family.
Boomer!
