Ashley Turner

Ashley Turner is the Senior Administrative Assistant for the CalArts School of Critical Studies. She brings over 8 years of administrative experience with expertise in procedural development, communication, document creation, and project coordination. In her role, she supports all levels of the administrative and curricular teams within the school. Additionally, she serves as Secretary for the Academic Council and Staff Council at CalArts. 

Before joining the Critical Studies team in 2021, Ashley spent the better part of her life involved in music and the arts. Her journey culminated with a Masters of Music from the University of Southern California, experience leading an Admissions and Student Services team at a local Pasadena college, and co-founded a family business, Turner Music & Cinema. Her passion for the arts in higher education has led her to CalArts where she hopes to continue assisting young artists navigate the rigors of collegiate study to find success and fulfillment on their own artistic path.

When Ashley is not at her desk, you can find her performing as the Principal Flutist for the Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra, a passion project she helped develop during the pandemic, or creating content for Exploration Music Project, a visual and aural journey as seen through the lens of cinema featuring various jazz, classical, and original music from members of the community out in nature.