Ashleigh was born and raised in London, Ontario and spent most summers in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, where her mother’s family has deep roots. A keen aesthete, she graduated from the Interior Design program at the International Academy of Design in Toronto in 2007 and went on to work for interior design firms in Toronto, Halifax and Calgary, practicing in the residential, commercial and hospitality design sectors. Ashleigh then chose to attend the Willowbank program with the intention of focussing her interior design work on historic environments, having recognized being personally drawn to places which embody layers of cultural resonance, craftsmanship and aesthetic value. After graduating from Willowbank in 2013, Ashleigh worked for the Heritage Resource Management section of the City of Hamilton, leading projects within a collection of properties that includes several National Historic Sites such as Dundurn, Whitehern Historic House & Garden and Battlefield House. She returned to Willowbank as a Faculty Associate in 2015, teaching Architectural History of Canada and Historic Interiors. She represented Willowbank at the King’s Foundation Summer School in 2016.

Since 2020, Ashleigh has been employed by the Ontario Heritage Trust as a Capital Project Manager, leading projects that protect and enhance the Trust-owned collection of heritage properties, which spans the breadth of the province of Ontario. Before joining the Board of Directors, Ashleigh was on the Willowbank Advisory Council.