Denise Ashton – Leading the Charge

It’s not often you get to recognize one of your own for an outstanding achievement, but today we do. On behalf of WHA, we are proud to announce that Denise Ashton, Senior Principal in the Community Design Studio, is the incoming Chair for the Urban Land Institute’s Orange County/Inland Empire District Council!

For those who don’t know, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) is a world-wide, non-profit real estate and land development organization whose mission is to promote leadership in the responsible use of land to create sustainable and thriving communities. With nearly 1,000 active members, the OC/IE District Council is one of the 12 largest in the nation. Recent past District Council Chairs for OC/IE include John Williams of Avanath, Randy Jackson of Placeworks, and Mike Ruane of National CORE.

Although we’ve had different career paths, there is one thing we share – the mentorship, support, and encouragement received from Denise, both at work and with our involvement in ULI. She is someone who wholeheartedly believes in the benefits of participation in the organization, the leaders it brings together, the shared knowledge, and the collaborative opportunities.

On her journey to becoming Chair of the ULI OC/IE District Council, Denise has been an active member of its Executive Committee including Chair of Education working with Urban Plan, serving as Assistant Chair for the District Council, participating in Technical Assistance Panels, and volunteering as a Mentor to the Young Leader Group. She also sits on one of the esteemed ULI National Product Councils, the Lifestyle Residential Development Council 55+.

Denise has not only been busy with ULI, she has been involved in several other programs, most recently moderating a 2019 PCBC panel, Ladies Love Luxury (But Millennials Just Want In) with Megan Eltringham of the New Home Company, Michelle Thrakulchavee of City Ventures, and Natalie McHugh formerly of WHA. She also spends time reaching out to college students to help educate them about the industry including guest speaking at UCI Paul Mirage School of Business graduate practicum course, Planning Community and Mixed Use Development, taught by John Martin; as well as at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy graduate course, Residential Land Acquisition, taught by Nam Joe of Watt Companies.

When thinking about her Chair role, Denise is excited to position the council for future success. In her inherent mentoring fashion, she is excited to work on growing the industry’s next generation of leaders’ participation in ULI. Getting people engaged and building upon the Strategic Plan that establishes her goals for the next two years, Denise will work toward promoting and accessing all the resources that the ULI organization has to offer.

With her passion for this industry, her love of design, and her recognition that what we do in this industry is humbling and noble, it is evident there isn’t another career she’d rather have. Her determination to create outstanding places for people to live, work, and play as well as constantly inspiring others working in the development field is sure to help her succeed in this new role. WHA is so proud of Denise not only for what she contributes to the industry, but how she enriches all our lives here at WHA every day. Thank you, Denise. We couldn’t be more thankful and proud that you are a part of our team!

For a recent publication, please reference: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/uli-oc-ie-district-council-150800804.html

This blog was co-written by Louisa Feletto.