Influential Woman · Higher Ed

Ashley Arya

Chair, Staff Senate, North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC

Her Story

About Ashley

My career journey spans 17 years, beginning as a closed captioner of live events, primarily working in higher education classrooms where I provided closed captioning for classes. Six years ago, I transitioned into administration, and it was a natural fit to continue in higher ed but in a different capacity. Today, I serve as Chair of Staff Senate at the university, representing over 7,000 employees and ensuring their voices are heard at the leadership level of both the university and our statewide university system. My responsibilities include advocating for systemic and operational changes, identifying gaps in professional development opportunities, and working to fill those needs. I work on an IT team doing operational and strategic planning, though I always clarify that I don't fix computers - I focus on operational excellence for technical teams. One of my proudest achievements was partnering with another staff member to create the first staff-only award at the university level, which was a meaningful way to recognize the contributions of our staff community.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Ashley

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to always having a lot of mentors and cheerleaders behind me. I have never professionally thought that there's something that I can't take on, something that I can't handle, or that there's any doors that have ever been shut for me. It's having those people really boosting my confidence that has made all the difference in my career journey.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Say yes to everything, and show up to everything, because you never know where you are going to meet someone who is going to change your life. Whether they change it in a small way or a large way, whether they change it today or 10 years from now, every connection means something, and it's going to bring something good to you and to the other person. So just keep showing up, and keep talking to people.

03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I think one of the biggest challenges is the invisible workload that people take on. Whether that's tasks that no one on a team is assigned to actually do, or picking up the tasks that your teammates have dropped, and going the extra mile to keep all of the balls in the air for the good of the team. This invisible labor often goes unrecognized but is critical to keeping operations running smoothly. And it is crucial to recognize this work and to staff for it accordingly to prevent burnout. Because imagine that the person carrying all those balls leaves - what happens to the balls? They don't all bounce.

04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

I believe strongly in lifting people up and helping to get people onto a platform where they can be listened to, because I think that it's always better to hear straight from the source instead of through different channels. You know, playing a game of telephone, some information gets lost or changed, and so I focus on really lifting up the people who need to be represented to speak for themselves.

Keep Exploring