Audrey Ash, Ed.D., shares the how her degree has allowed her to help students, families, and teachers
Audrey Ash, Ed.D., received her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Texas Tech in 2001. She went on to receive her Master of Education from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2011 and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from West Texas A&M University in 2022. Ash also has her principal and superintendent certifications, among several different teacher certifications.
Today, Ash works as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at Burkburnett ISD in Burkburnett, Texas. She also serves in several different community and professional organizations including the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Burkburnett Chamber of Commerce.
Ash credits her experiences at Texas Tech for inspiring her career path and solidifying her love for education.
“Although I knew I wanted to be a teacher from an early age, my Early Childhood Education degree from Texas Tech was the catalyst that sparked my love of teaching young children,” Ash said. “The quality professors I had and the wonderful experiences I had at the Child Development Research Center prepared me to create quality learning environments for students and built my capacity to support families of young children as well.”
Ash appreciated the way that her degree program allowed her to have a unique dual focus on education and human development.
“The College of Human Sciences offers a wonderful opportunity to understand how children learn and grow and also learn and practice quality teaching pedagogy,” Ash said. “The knowledge I gained about child development really equipped me to serve children and families with diverse needs.”
In her current role, Ash enjoys the opportunity to support not only students, but teachers as well. As a former teacher herself, she is aware of the role that educators play in the lives of students and their families.
“What we as educators speak over our children is what they become or overcome, and all children deserve to have positivity drive their educational experience from an early age into their secondary years.”
Ash loves her current role at Burkburnett ISD and looks forward to continuing to give back to the school and community that she and her family call home. In the future, she would like to be a Superintendent of a small to mid-sized school district and would also like to be a professor or adjunct professor for educational leadership.