Spotlight on: Ashlee Adams
Extension Agent
Denver County
Hi, I'm Ashlee Adams, the new 4-H Agent in Denver County. I was
born in Livermore, CA to a United Airlines mechanic and a stay-at-home mom. My
two sisters, little brother and I were very spoiled with my dad's travel
benefits so I grew up vacationing around the U.S. I REALLY miss those travel
perks!
I was in 4-H
with my older sisters and we participated in Heritage Arts and Macramé.
I did not get the artistic ability gene that everyone else in my family did.
The only remnant of my attempts is a horrific-looking macramé Christmas
door hanger that my mother insists on putting out every holiday season! I was a
very athletic child so my time in 4-H was short, as I got older and moved on to
dance and sports. I danced on point for many years and went to state in the 200
low-hurdles. I am still not sure how that happened as I've always been a better
distance runner.
I graduated from CSU with a degree in Technical
Journalism and promptly moved to San Francisco to become a ropes course
instructor. I spent almost seven years in youth programs out there ranging from
outdoor education to job training to managing volunteer programs. The work I am
most proud of was managing a large AmeriCorps project in collaboration with the
National Park Service to restore Crissy Field in the Presidio from a military
air strip back to the tidal wetlands it had been for thousands of
years.
I moved back to Colorado to get my bearings and decide on "what
next?" I started working with youth in corrections and foster care and decided
to go back to school to better myself to better serve youth and families in the
Denver community. I graduated in 2007 from the University of Denver with my
Master of Social Work with an emphasis in community practice. While in school I
worked as a case manager contracting with Denver's Department of Human Services
through the YMCA. Social work teaches that children, families and communities
should be viewed through a strengths-based lens. It has been very disappointing
and frustrating that all too many of our urban policies and views do not take
that perspective.
Positive youth development has always been one of my fundamental
beliefs when working with youth. Coming to 4-H allows me to continue social
work in a whole new capacity. The positive support of youth through engaged
adults and families can do more to get a child on track then all the possible
legal interventions we can use.
In my spare time, which I don't have
much of, I like to read and have developed a recent obsession with crossword
puzzles. I still find time to get outdoors for my daily run with the dog and
hope to get back into competitive running again this year (after having a baby
last year). My husband and I greatly value our friends and still try to enjoy
an active social life with a seven-year-old and six-month-old. The rest of my
time is spent, vacuuming dog hair, changing diapers and cleaning carrots out of
the crevices of my chubby little girl's arms.