Growing up near Chicago, Ashley had endless opportunities to visit world class museums, marvel at monumental architecture, and experience a rich cultural heritage. Somehow, though, she felt drawn to the less advertised historic sights: ruins of old school buildings on county forest land, abandoned limestone quarries, and of course cemeteries. Fostering her interest, Ashley's parents convinced a local tour guide to allow elementary school-aged Ashley to participate in an adults-only midnight haunted Chicago tour. Bored by the guide’s plethora of spooky stories and lack of historical citation, she embarked on her own research. In 5th grade Ashley presented “History of Cemeteries in Chicago" and so began a lifelong curiosity about burial places.

In high school and college Ashley dove deeper into the history and social factors affecting cemeteries, particularly those factors that lead to vandalism and neglect. During this time she worked alongside her mother in both private and commercial landscaping, solidifying in her a love of hard, meaningful, beautiful work. Ashley graduated from St Xavier University with Bachelor’s degrees in both History and Sociology.

In 2014 Ashley began graduate school at Georgia State University in Atlanta, a decision based largely on the opportunity to intern at Historic Oakland Cemetery. After earning a Master's degree in Heritage Preservation from GSU in 2016, she joined the full-time staff and is now Director of Preservation at Oakland. While leading the team at Oakland, Ashley has also contributed her skills to cemeteries throughout the Southeast. Her favorite projects include repairing headstones at Locust Grove Cemetery in Sharon, GA, one of the oldest Catholic cemeteries in Georgia; conserving cast concrete grave markers at Mt Zion, a historically Black  cemetery in Smyrna, GA; and relocating headstones at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg, VA. Ashley has participated in several workshops with US Heritage Group, the Belvedere School, and Atlas Preservation. She has continued her education at Georgia Perimeter College, studying Geology. Ashley has led workshops for the Association for Gravestone Studies, Georgia Municipal Cemetery Association, and the Fulton County Public Library. In 2018 she was awarded the Jenny D. Thurston Memorial Award by the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, recognizing her efforts in preservation in and around Atlanta. Ashley is a published author -- in 2025, she co-authored “The genus Plocezygamicrogastropod biostratigraphic zonation of the Pennsylvanian of the United States” published by Cambridge University Press.

While at Oakland Cemetery, Ashley has managed and mentored dozens of employees, interns from high schoolers to graduate students, and a dedicated crew of volunteers. One such intern-turned-employee is Sean Diaz. In Sean, Ashley has a friend and colleague who shares her passion for stone work, attention to detail, and the grit to work a 10 hour day in the Georgia summer. With a decade of working together at Oakland and all over the Southeast, Ashley and Sean founded Level Spirit Preservation -- a partnership based on a commitment to high-quality craftsmanship, preserving historic integrity, and delivering collaborative customer service. Ashley continues to serve Historic Oakland Cemetery as Director of Preservation. She resides in Atlanta where she enjoys spending time with her beloved horse, Alcor, and dog, Wiz.