Titles

• Owner and Lead Consultant, KDV Decision Analysis LLC
• Cofounder and Partner, Yukonix Group

Biography

Ashton Drew runs a consultancy which specializes in decision support in the fields of natural resource management, conservation planning, and organizational development. Ashton’s work is motivated by a desire to make relevant information accessible within decision-making discussions. Final products of her firm typically include data driven apps, interactive visualizations, and web-based decision support tools that allow decision-makers to simulate and compare plausible outcomes of alternative decisions. The act of making research results accessible and relevant often requires thinking beyond the science and data to consider the uncertainty and complexity of the decisions' context (e.g., fiscal realities, social values, legal requirements, etc.). To accomplish these tasks, Ashton offers skills gathering and analyzing data from databases, expert elicitations, personal narratives, and community workshops. Drawing from her diverse background in natural sciences, social sciences, and emerging data sciences, she brings proven experience, unique insights and passion to her projects. She has worked with multiple federal, state, and private agencies to innovate and improve the science and delivery of environmental projects.

Prior to starting her own business, Ashton worked as a research ecologist and instructor at North Carolina State University focused on species habitat modeling and other topics in applied landscape ecology. While there, she developed and taught several courses and co-edited two textbooks: “Predictive Species and Habitat Modeling in Landscape Ecology” and “Expert Knowledge and its Application in Landscape Ecology”. She continues to spend about a quarter of her time teaching, offering regular courses through Transmitting Science and custom workshops.

Education

• PhD, Marine Science, North Carolina University, 2006
• MMM, Marine Management, Dalhousie University, 1996
• BA, Environmental Science, Beloit College, 1995