Ashlee Thomas currently serves as the Interim Director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. In this role, she has led the development of the Arts Energize 305 engagement initiatives, fostering dynamic community participation in the arts. She has been instrumental in connecting cultural nonprofit organizations and individual artists with vital resources to support and amplify their work. As a cultural developer, she has overseen the Department’s Cultural Facilities and Grants divisions, guiding investments in innovative programing and funding strategies that expand access to the arts across the County.
Ashlee is a Miami native with a breadth of experience in the arts and culture sector, both on and off the stage. After graduating from Florida State University with a degree in Business Marketing, she danced professionally with Los Angeles based company, CONTRA-TIEMPO Urban Latin Dance Theater. Independently, she created full length choreographic works workshopped at Disney Concert Hall and premiered at the prestigious Highway Theater in California. She has written a plethora of theatrical works and has a strong background in arts entrepreneurship, direction and production. Creatively, she served as a lead choreographer in Latin-grammy nominated music video, Licenciado Cantinas ft. Enrique Burnbury. She also served as Co-Founder and Festival Director of Melbourne Webfest, Australia's first web-series festival.
In 2014, she returned to Miami and developed her career in arts administration and education, serving as the Marketing Manager at the Marshall L. Davis Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, the Manager of Education and Community Outreach at the Adrienne Arsht Center, and as the Drama magnet teacher at Charles Drew K8 Center. Her musical, The Busy Bees’ Great Adventure was commissioned by the Adrienne Arsht Center, premiering to 30k Miami-Dade County Public School 3-5th grade students in 2022. She is an award-winning grant writer and co-founder of MUCE, an arts production company that brings brands and ideas to life with art. For over a decade, Ashlee worked in a community providing artistic excellence through public private partnerships.
Ashlee Thomas holds a Master of Public Administration from Florida International University (FIU) and a Master of Fine Arts from New York University (NYU). She is a proud product of the Miami-Dade County Public School system and an alumna of the Marshall L. Davis, Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, where her early artistic foundation was shaped.