Ashley H. Wisneski

Ashley Wisneski is an experienced attorney with a strong background in nonprofit organizations, higher education, compliance, employment law, and litigation for the last 20 years. She provides strategic legal counsel navigating federal and state laws and regulations, developing organizational policies, managing risk, and advising on best practices for nonprofit governance. Ashley’s in-house experience enables her to deliver practical, actionable legal advice by simplifying complex legal and regulatory matters into clear, effective solutions.

Prior to joining the Tenenbaum Law Group PLLC, Ashley served as the University Counsel at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, Massachusetts, where she managed the legal office and function. She also served as Associate General Counsel at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. In these roles, Ashley provided comprehensive legal support to the College and University’s operations, including compliance, contracts, employment, litigation, real estate, research, and student issues.

Ashley’s extensive background also includes 11 years of service in the government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She spent six years as Deputy General Counsel at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, where she played a key role in overseeing the legal aspects of higher education policy, regulatory compliance and enforcement, and institutional mergers, acquisitions, and closures. Ashley also developed and implemented policies to ensure the Department’s adherence to state and federal education laws. She also spent five years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, handling regulatory, compliance, and litigation matters involving nonprofit organizations and providing legal oversight on various investigations and enforcement actions. In recognition for her work, Ashley received a Citation for Outstanding Performance by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2018 for her significant contributions to institutional closures, including the closure of Mount Ida College.

Ashley began her legal career at Rich May, a mid-sized Boston law firm where she represented clients in commercial litigation.

Beyond her professional work, Ashley is actively engaged in community service and nonprofit work, serving on several boards of directors, including the Board of Trustees for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston and the Board of Advisors for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Ashley’s unique blend of legal expertise, practical in-house experience with nonprofit institutions, and passion for ensuring the health and vibrancy of the nonprofit sector make her a trusted advisor to organizations navigating complex legal and regulatory challenges.

Education

• J.D., Boston College Law School, 2004
• B.A., History, Yale University, 2000

Bar Admissions

• Massachusetts
• District of Columbia (admission pending)

• 2017-Present, Member, National Association of College and University Attorneys

• 2023-24, University Counsel, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
• 2022-2023, Associate General Counsel, Johnson & Wales University
• 2016-2022, Assistant General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
• 2011-16, Assistant Attorney General, Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division
• 2005-2009, Associate, Rich May, P.C.

May 2023

Arbitration: The Choice Between Off-the-Rack and Bespoke Justice (Article), NACUANote, National Association of College and University Attorneys (Co-Author)

Winter 2024

‘That’s Just Not Right’: Monetary Compensation for the Wrongly Convicted in Massachusetts (Article), Massachusetts Law Review