ASHLEY LODATO
Born on Fairchild Air Force Base and raised on a cherry orchard in north central Washington State, I grew up hiking, camping, skiing, organizing neighborhood drama productions, and bossing my two younger siblings around.
I earned a BA in English and Italian Literature from Stanford University ('91) and an MA in English Studies from Western Washington University ('96), and between those degrees taught high school English for a few years at the Ojai Valley School.
After working for Outward Bound in Maine, Montana, Texas, and Washington for 25 years, I joined Methow Arts Alliance as the Education Director from 2010-2022. I'm now the Associate Director of the Methow Conservancy, a community land trust.
I serve on the board of the Community Foundation of North Central Washington and am on the advisory councils of Little Star Montessori School, Friends of the Winthrop Library, and Methow Valley Dark Sky Coalition.
As a writer, I am interested in stories. I want to know the history behind personalities, the journeys that led to business ventures, the challenges and passions that create athletes. I am also intrigued by what happens to people when they're in the mountains, on rivers and rock, out
in wild spaces. The backcountry--or even the frontcountry, in the right circumstances--can be profound, transformative, and even magical. I enjoy trying to capture the essence of moments created by surrendering ourselves to outdoor experiences.
I am a contributor to the Methow Valley News, Bluebird Grain Farms, Bronwen Jewelry, the Twisp Chamber of Commerce, Outdoors Northwest, Samata, Stanford Magazine, and American Whitewater Journal. I co-authored Leadership: The Outward Bound Way and contributed to Why We Boat: Running Rivers on our Own.
I live in the North Cascades, in Winthrop, Washington, with my husband and two teen daughters. Whenever I can, I slip away to Nordic ski, run, hike, paddleboard, rock climb, and swim in the outdoor playground that surrounds me. (To watch a short Zoom talk I gave about what the Methow Valley means to me, click HERE. The topic and I get introduced at the 17:30 mark, I begin speaking at about 21:00).