Ashley Cook

With NMA since

June 2015

My Life

I grew up in a small rural town in the Northern California Valley. My childhood was very fun and consisted of lots of camping trips, fishing, boating, snowboarding and dirt bike riding. This love for adventure has always stayed with me.  As a kid I was really into making things and drawing, I always wanted to be an architect. I worked hard to get into my top choice college (Cal Poly) where I met my Fiance, Alan. After attending Cal Poly I got an architecture job in Santa Barbara and moved to Ventura with Alan. Two years later I started working for NMA. We love the California lifestyle and take full advantage of all the fun to be had outside year round. Although I really do miss being close to the snow, the weather here is fantastic! On a typical weekend Alan and I will either be camping, scuba diving, snowboarding, or riding somewhere in California. When we aren’t out of town exploring you can spot us in Ventura, either riding around on our tandem bike or at the beach with our two spoiled dogs, Angus and Emma.

Favorite Memory

When I was 8 years old, I woke up on Christmas morning to find a Yamaha PW 80 dirtbike next the Christmas tree. Even though I crashed it immediately, my dad taught me to be a pretty decent rider and it became my favorite hobby growing up.

Inspiration

One of my greatest sources of inspiration is traveling and exploring new places. Visiting old gothic cathedrals and ancient temples is inspiring for any architect. Although studying abroad in Europe was a huge inspiration for me, I also think there is plenty to see and be inspired by right here in our own backyard. I think Santa Barbara has some amazing residential architecture and although I have only worked in the Santa Barbara area for a short time, seeing a project come to life from something drawn up on the computer is another huge source of inspiration for me.