Ashley Chia
INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (she/her)
Ashley’s relationship with Park West began when she and her oldest child participated in the Tots program in 2015. Over the past 9 years she has watched her two children grow and learn at Park West and has served on multiple committees, the Board and spent 3 years as the Director of Operations. She is passionate about preserving early childhood as a time for children to learn through play and have the time and space to develop the skills they will need for the future, including social-emotional, critical thinking and relationship building. As a former engineer and project manager she enjoys bringing a technical lens to the strong group of educators on the Park West faculty. Her goals this year include working with the faculty and board to strategically expand Park West’s programs to meet the needs of local families and building even stronger relationships between cooperative families. She knows that Park West is a place where lifelong relationships are built and looks forward to more families experiencing the joy of finding their village within the Park West community. In her free time she enjoys watching her children play sports, exploring Chicago with her family and expanding her knowledge of early childhood as she pursues her Masters in Early Childhood at Erikson Institute.