Meet Ashleigh Pettus, the Woman Opening Doors to Urban Forestry

Ashleigh Pettus did not grow up with nature as a constant companion. She was born and raised in the Bronx, where “outside” often meant blacktop, fences, and the busy pulse of city life. Parks existed, sure, but they felt like places people visited, not places where you were meant to belong. It took time, distance, and a surprising detour for that sense of belonging to finally click.

That turning point came during Ashleigh’s first year of college, when she participated in a service-learning Alternative Spring Break program and traveled to Perryville, Arkansas, to volunteer at Heifer International. Suddenly, nature was not background scenery. It was a daily rhythm. Mornings began with caring for animals as the sun came up, and something inside her settled. In that steady routine, she felt herself “grounded” in a way she had not known she was missing. When she returned to New York, she saw the city differently. The same parks were there, but her eyes had changed. She had to leave to realize nature had been waiting for her all along.

Ashleigh originally studied history and childhood education, expecting a future in the classroom. But her path widened as she realized her real passion was bigger than the traditional school setting. What stayed constant was her love for teaching and that moment when a learner truly gets it. She described how she loves taking something technical and translating it into something a young person can hold, and then seeing “that light bulb go off.” That educator’s instinct now shapes everything she does in urban forest education, including learning the story of a place, understanding what is missing or underrepresented, and designing programs that speak to what people actually need in their lives.

When asked what conservation means beyond its technical definition, Ashleigh did not resort to jargon. Instead, she reached for love. She talked about how she would explain it to a child by starting with what they care about most, like a pet, a favorite toy, or something precious they want to protect and help grow. For Ashleigh, conservation is not just about preserving the outdoors. It is about building a relationship with it. In her work with the City of Austin, she sees her title as a doorway, not a box. Her real job is urban forest youth education and engagement, helping young people picture what the urban forest is now, and what it could become with their hands, their knowledge, and their passion.

One theme kept returning like a chorus: community. Ashleigh spoke about her nonprofit roots and her city role with the same through line. She is “working for the people” either way. She wants neighbors to feel empowered, not overwhelmed, especially when talking about urgent issues like oak wilt. Her simplest advice was also her most powerful: start with observation. Watch your trees across seasons. Notice changes. Ask questions. Talk to your neighbors. Caring begins when we become familiar, when we stop seeing trees as background and start seeing them as living members of the places we share.

And maybe the most moving glimpse of Ashleigh’s impact came through a memory from the Bronx. While working with Trees New York, she helped lead a summer program for South Bronx youth, planting trees in public housing communities that had long been under-resourced. One participant, Curtis, known around the neighborhood as “Mayor Curtis,” explained the importance of trees to a community member frustrated by other infrastructure problems. Curtis listened first, then spoke with clarity and care, connecting beauty, health, and dignity in a way that landed. Later, he told Ashleigh that no one had ever asked him a question he could answer with real hope until he had been given the knowledge and confidence to do it. That is the heart of her work: creating opportunity, opening gates, and helping young people realize there is a place for them in conservation, especially those who have rarely been invited to see themselves there.

• Youth Forest Council | The City of Austin’s Youth Forest Council is an immersive, year-long paid internship that connects young people (ages 16-20) in Austin to careers in natural resources and public service. Youth Forest Council members work with Urban Forest Program professionals to support community activities and develop their own connections to Austin’s natural spaces
• Emerging Green Leaders (EGLs) | A collective of young people & organizational leaders advancing accessible careers in the outdoors, nature, & environmental fields
• Texas Children in Nature | Their mission is to ensure access and connection to nature for ALL children in Texas.”

Héctor González, TreeFolks’ Communications Strategy Manager, conducted this interview.