Ashley Owen
Director - Higher Ed Operations
Ashley has spent the majority of her professional career working in education. Her life and work have been devoted to ensuring that people—regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status—have access to both a quality education and future that are not dictated by their zip code. She started her career in education as a Teach for America corps member in Dallas, Texas, where she taught 8th grade English Language Arts at J.L. Long Middle School. Following her time in the classroom, she transitioned into the educational nonprofit world as a staff member for City Year Dallas. Serving as both the Learning and Development Manager and later the Learning and Analytics Director, Ashley worked to train young adults to become powerful mentors and tutors for underserved students in the Dallas Independent School District. She specialized in developing and adapting trainings that offered participants choice and ownership over their own learning. She has a passion for human-centered logistics, and she works to keep people at the heart of all the systems and processes she creates in her work with 2Rev.
Ashley is an advocate for learning, growth, and change, and she wants nothing more than for things to leave her better than how they came to her. She is a self-proclaimed bookworm, and generally averages about a book a week. Ashley earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Georgia and her Master of Public Administration with a focus in Educational Nonprofits from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Why are learner-centered and equitable classrooms and systems important in education?
Education is supposed to be about students, and educators should be focused on the growth and development of their students. Learner-centered classrooms should therefore be a given, and yet that hasn’t been the case in our country. Diverse classrooms aren’t enough, because those students must feel that they belong in those spaces. Belonging isn’t enough, because those students must all feel that their voices are included and uplifted. Inclusion isn’t enough, because those students’ needs must be a focus and a target for educators in both classrooms and systems. We begin the critical task of pushing toward a more just and equitable society by creating learner-centered classrooms that are focused on equity rather than equality. We begin to meet society’s needs by educating students in a way that meets their needs; we model the world we want to see in the spaces we inhabit and influence. The work of equity and excellence can’t be done today or overnight or in a few short days—but it can begin today. There is no such thing as “other people’s children,” and we must do what we can to ensure all children are empowered to continue this work long after we’re gone.
Ashley lives in Dalton, GA. She has a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.