About Ashley

Ashley is the owner and driving force behind thorndikeCREATIVE, the parent company of Moving Mentoring. She holds a PhD in dance studies from Ohio State University, an MEd in counseling from the University of Virginia, and a BFA in modern dance from the University of Utah. With over 17 years experience in the fields of leadership development, dance, non-profit administration, workplace wellness, and Pilates, she is thrilled to be brining Moving Mentoring to the dance community.

For eight years she served as the founder and Executive Director of Now Next Dance, a dance education and mentoring organization. She was featured in Dance Magazine, and was described in the Dance/USA journal as a “trailblazing visionary” for her innovative program design. Her prior work includes managing the Young Women Leaders Program, a large youth mentoring program, and teaching on the dance faculties of American University, George Mason University, George Washington University, and Oberlin College. Her certifications include BASI Pilates with a dance conditioning certificate and Ashtanga/Hatha yoga (200hr level).

An occasional choreographer, her current work with long time collaborator Peter V. Swendsen will be performed at the John F. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, in March 2018. 

She is the founder of somaspring a mindbody practice that helps clients develop an efficient body for an effective mind. 

Ashley is the mother of dynamic preschooler and a curious first grader and the wife of a conservation-loving economist.