Ashley moved to Traverse City, Michigan when she was four years old. Her parents relocated to run the local title agency. Growing up, she enjoyed horseback riding, going to shows on the weekend, and camping at the Northwestern Michigan Fair to compete in the annual horse show. Before starting at CSS, she was a management consultant at Bain & Company, Inc., then at The Bridgespan Group, where she worked with fortune 500 companies and then nonprofits to help develop their growth strategies and streamline their operations.
WORKING AT CSS
Ashley started working for CSS in the winter of 2015, taking the role of Chief Operating Officer. She enjoys the variety that comes from her position, including strategic planning, customer interactions, internal product operations and back-office functions like HR, Accounting, and IT. This variety means she is always learning and getting better every day.
INTERESTS AND HOBBIES
In her free time, Ashley enjoys playing tennis, reading, and checking out new restaurants around Chicago. Her favorite Chicago activity is renting a sailboat and enjoying a beautiful summer day on Lake Michigan. She learned to play the cello growing up and bass guitar in graduate school. She was a member of a top 40 cover band that played at school events and competed in the Battle of the Bands where she performed in front of 1300 people at a popular Chicago venue.
If she didn’t work at CSS, Ashley would want to be a traveling journalist. She loves writing and is an avid fan of travel; she has already visited Japan, Vietnam, China, Brazil, Australia, and more. Her favorite part of travel is getting to experience the food, culture, and scenery.
FUN FACTS ABOUT ASHLEY
- Her fiancé is Vietnamese so every Fourth of July they make her family a big Vietnamese dinner with pho, grilled shrimp and rice and lots of eggrolls.
- Ashley and her sister both went to Northwestern for their undergrad and grad school -- they are Wildcats fans for life!
- She tried jellyfish in China and would not recommend it.
- Gilmore Girls is one of her favorite TV shows. Growing up, Ashley and her sister would get a new season every Christmas and watch the whole thing in a few days.
- She’s a sucker for old romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally, Bridget Jones Diary and 10 Things I Hate About You.
- Her favorite podcasts are Up First, the Daily, Gastropod, and Rough Translation.
- She loves dogs but can’t get one because she travels too much, so she used to dog sit for other people using a website called DogVacay.com
---> Send Ashley your pet pictures!
