Our team at NC3 has some impressive employees in our ranks and this Staff Spotlight series aims to highlight the incredibly talented individuals who work with us. We’ll be featuring a new interview in our monthly newsletters, here on our website, and on our social media pages each month.

This month’s Staff Spotlight features NC3 team member, Ashley Adams. Ashley is NC3’s Events & Operations Associate.

In her role at NC3, Ashley spearheads the production of NC3’s Annual Leadership Summit. She also supports the executive team with NC3’s National Signing Day, and the many other conferences our team attends and supports in affiliation with our industry and association partners year-round. Being well versed in both in-person events and digital spaces, Ashley is proud to have successfully flipped the in-person NC3 Annual Leadership Summit to a virtual event in 2020 and is excited to have supported NC3 with setting their sights higher this year… through the production of an even more engaging and inspirational virtual event with over 50 live speakers! Ashley and the NC3 team can’t wait for you to meet and connect with the dozens of leaders from both education and industry we’ve lined up as honored speakers, and with other educational leaders and campus administrators who will be attending the event from over 200 NC3 Leadership Schools worldwide.

Check out our Q&A session below to learn more about Ashley, her descent from a long line of educators, her love of well-curated events, and more!

How did you become interested in career and technical education?

I come from a long line of educators. My mother, who recently retired, spent 38 years as an elementary school teacher, my brother has been working as a high school teacher for over a decade, both of my sisters have worked on/off as teacher’s aides throughout their careers, and I spent two years working as a substitute teacher. Needless to say, I’ve grown up on school campuses, and understand the important role education plays in not only the lives of students but also of the future of our communities, our states, our country, and the world.

What were you most surprised to learn about NC3 during or shortly after you onboarded with the organization?

In my initial research of NC3, I knew the organization was making a difference… I just didn’t truly understand the breadth of that difference! Did you know that to date, NC3 has issued 325,000+ industry-recognized certifications to students worldwide and over 4,000 instructors have been trained in how to teach the most current industry-supported curricula?! These numbers showcase the HUGE impact NC3 is making as an organization, and that’s not even taking into consideration the massive impact NC3’s global industry partners and association partners are making with their own individual projects and initiatives, which NC3 always aims to support. 

Do you have a favorite quote?

As an event producer, I love seeing behind the curtain and understanding what it takes to create a truly educational and inspirational event…. Spoiler alert: There are a LOT of logistical details involved. While I do believe in magic, I also know that experiences curated by humans can at times feel magical to those participating in and/or attending but: “There’s no magic in (that) magic, it’s all in the details” – Walt Disney 

What do you like to do on your days off?

I enjoy spending time with my family and close friends, oftentimes… in nature! I’m an avid hiker and love spending my weekends in the great outdoors. I also have a green thumb and spend a lot of time caring for the dozens of plants and flowers I have in my community garden. I tend to seven 30’ x 3’ wide garden beds, two apple trees, a peach tree, several cherry trees, and a fig tree… which produce enough food to feed a handful of my close friends and neighbors. I also love lounging in my sunroom or on my deck with my pup Kaiju and my cat Mitz. 

What motivates you to wake up and go to work?

I love helping curate experiences, which as an event producer I get to do everyday! Events often mark milestones… or recur daily, weekly, monthly, or annually to inspire and drive collectives of people and their ideas forward. I am always humbled by the experiences I get to help curate through the combination of my keen eye for detail and the creativity + big-picture vision of others. 

Want to learn more about this year’s NC3 Virtual Leadership Summit, or which events NC3 will be attending in the coming months? Click here to contact Ashley today.