Any student who has spent time in the Bent Center knows that across the hall from the student commons lies the cozy office of Mrs. Ashman. A book shelf adjacent from her desk houses titles like The Hate U Give and Piecing Me Together. Quotes of positivity and acceptance can be seen hanging on a bulletin board behind Mrs. Ashman’s desk.

The friendly environment of Mrs. Ashman’s office is not just a reflection of the job she does here at Bolles, but a reflection of her personality. She is committed to making students of all backgrounds feel included.

Through a newsletter this summer, Mr. Hodges informed the community of Mrs. Ashman’s promotion to the Director of Diversity and Inclusion. Her new position entails all the responsibilities of her previous but on all campuses.

For seven years Mrs. Ashman has worked on the San Jose campus as the Director of Cultural Competence. In this position, Ashman said she was responsible for heading and coordinating diversity committees for both staff and students, holding cultural awareness and bias workshops, educating students through convocations, supporting minority students, and advising Sophomore students.

Now she has to get to know the staff on three other campuses and work with them, as well as San Jose staff, to work through issues and promote inclusion. Ashman explained, “It’s a big change in responsibility because you obviously have more issues you need to be aware of.”