Bush suggested that the visa rejection rate for Poles be lowered. Ashe has also noted that Poland has a growing economy that offers many opportunities for US businesses. He is interested in having his own area of Knoxville and East Tennessee take advantage of such opportunities, and in 2005 advised a group of 16 Knoxville-area businesses to put together a trade mission to Poland. On March 16, 2009 he was honoured by President of Poland Lech Kaczyński with Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, for his contribution to Polish-American cooperation. He was decorated on September 25, 2009 by Mariusz Handzlik, undersecretary of state in President's Office. Broadcasting Board of Governors Ashe serves on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the body which supervises the federal agencies which broadcast to foreign countries. In a 2013 report by the Office of Inspector General, Ashe was criticized as a board member "whose tactics and personal attacks on colleagues and staff have created an unprofessional and unproductive atmosphere". Ashe was not directly named, but referred to as a "former mayor," a description which fits only him. Ashe called the report "unwarranted, unfair and factually incorrect" and in his defense pointed to his support from labor. Yale Trustee Candidate In April 2020, Ashe announced his candidacy for the Yale Corporation, on a platform of reforming the Corporation election process while taking into account alumni voices. Personal life Ashe and his wife, Joan née Plumlee, have two children together. Ashe is the uncle of professional basketball players Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee, and Marshall Plumlee. References External links Victor Ashe Papers, University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries 1945 births Living people People from Knoxville, Tennessee Republican Party Tennessee state senators Republican Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Ambassadors of the United States to Poland Mayors of Knoxville, Tennessee Hotchkiss School alumni Yale College alumni University of Tennessee alumni Commanders with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Presidents of the United States Conference of Mayors