Ashley is originally from Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia. Previously, Ashley spent six years working at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France on the Global Capacity-Building Programme for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Culture Heritage. Outside of Canada, Ashley has worked and studied in Chile, France, Japan and Indonesia. After initially studying an MA in Applied Linguistics more than 10 years ago, she is now pursuing an MSc in Social Policy and Social Research at the Institute of Education, University College London. Her academic interests include evidence-based policy, systematic reviews, arts-based peacebuilding, gender-based violence, and designing effective interventions that contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.