Heading North by Liz Ashley
Liz Ashley, does not fit the traditional image of a Developer. She is a true creative; whether that is in the world of code, design, fine art, fashion design, or the myriad of areas she has put her energy into. Liz Ashley is a renaissance woman.
Allovus: What made you decide to become a Developer?
Liz: Well, it wasn’t always that way, my background is varied. I started college as a Fine Art major, but after a year of that, I got kind of bored. I had always liked physics, math, and astronomy, so I moved toward astrophysics.
Lake Alice by Liz Ashley
Oil on Panel
Allovus: Wow! Astrophysics! Did you get a degree in that?
Liz: No, I eventually changed my major again because the astronomy classes were at night on the top of the physics building, and it was freezing cold! In my junior year, I took a design class, and ended up getting a BS in Design—mostly clothing design.
Allovus: So, from Fine Art to Astrophysics to Design… and then Fashion Design?
Raven by Liz Ashley
Oil on Panel
Liz: Yes. I found a job at Generra Sportswear in Seattle—I was a design stylist, responsible for designing little girls’ pants and skirts. I also did freelance graphic design jobs for clothing companies. In addition, I worked as a design stylist for Heather Hill sportswear based in New York—I designed boys’ tops for them.
Allovus: What other jobs did you have? Can you list them?
Liz: Sure!
- I worked in the accounting department for Stevens Pass ski resort (so I could get a free ski pass.)
- Then, I became a recruiter for a staffing agency in Bellingham.
- After that, I moved back to California and worked for American President Lines (APL), which is an international shipping company—I worked in Human Resources and did their state tax returns.
- Then, together with my high school buddies (including our own Steve Godfrey), we started a web consulting business which serviced Fortune 100 companies. I was the CFO and CPO and did design and development, and I was QA manager and HR manager.
- After seven years of that, I decided to go on my own. I did freelance design and development for large and small companies.
- I started at Allovus at 2010 as a developer.
Allovus: And you also volunteer with some of your favorite organizations?
Liz: Yes, I’ve done a lot of volunteer work.
- I was a basic education and GED tutor at BCC.
- For artEAST, a non-profit art org in Issaquah, I did all their web and print work when they first launched, and ran some of the art shows with them.
- I have done a lot of pro bono work for another very worthy cause, Athletes for Kids (http://athletesforkids.org)
- I was also on the Board of the Directors at Providence Marianwood foundation—they run a skilled nursing facility. I also curated the art shows at the nursing home. I just ended my board position. (http://washington.providence.org/senior-care/marianwood/)
Allovus: What do you do at Allovus?
Liz: I do mostly internal projects—I work on tools. The most fun thing about my job is coming up with something that makes other people’s jobs easier—through lots of input from everybody.
Hayley was sitting nearby listening to our conversation and quipped, “Liz does magical UI for me and takes the geeky stuff that Rob does and turns it into something we can use.”
Early Moonrise by Liz Ashley
Oil on Panel
Allovus: What do you do for fun?
Liz: I hike, ski, snowshoe and go to the beautiful Methow Valley. I also paint! Mostly in oil and watercolor—I love to do landscapes.
Nest – Red-Tailed Hawk by Liz Ashley
Oil on Panel
Check out Liz’s work: http://lizashley.com/
Spring Approaches
by Liz Ashley
Oil on Panel
Allovus: What’s your dream job?
Liz: I have it! One of the most important things to me in any job is the people I work with. This is the perfect fit for me.
© MARTINA DALTON, Designer, Allovus