Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

Ashley Parks joined Arizona Opera in November 2016 as the Director of Development, where she is responsible for managing the company’s overall fundraising initiatives.

Prior to joining Arizona Opera, Ashley was the Director of Development at North Carolina Opera, where she implemented the company’s first annual fundraising plan and created an engagement-focused benefits program. Ashley previously served as the Deputy Director of Patron and Individual Giving at the Metropolitan Opera. She was responsible for a team that raised $20M annually through gifts from $2,500- $25,000. In addition to managing the renewals of over 4,000 Patrons, she also staffed 2 board members and her own portfolio of 100+ donors.

Ashley previously held positions in both development and artistic administration with Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, The Peace Center for the Performing Arts, and Brevard Music Center. She was a panelist on a session promoting positive relationships between opera companies and volunteer guilds at “Creative Resurgence: Opera Conference 2012”. She was also a participant in Opera America’s 2016 Leadership Intensive program.

A trained pianist, Ashley has a Bachelor of Music in Music Theory from Furman University and a Master of Arts in Arts Management from American University.