Education

Summary

• Newson joined the National Park Service in September 2019 as a Community Planner in the Midwest Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program. She provides technical assistance to local governments and community groups that are planning outdoor recreation or natural resource conservation projects. She is based out of the Missouri Field Office in Columbia, MO and supports projects across Missouri and Arkansas.
• Prior to joining the National Park Service, Newson completed a fellowship with the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho and Washington, D.C. At the USFS headquarters in Washington, D.C., Ashley provided national program support for the Travel, Tourism and Interpretation division. She completed a three-month detail at a remote field station on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests in north-central Idaho. There she managed a visitor center and developed the visitor center’s office manual, interpretive plan and employee orientation resources.
• Newson graduated from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri with a Bachelor’s Degree in geography with a geotourism emphasis and a certificate in environmental education. Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the distinctive geographical character of a place—its environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture and the well-being of its residents. This unique degree focused on sustainable tourism management and planning from a sense of place perspective.