Ashley Whittle, Head of Special Collections and University Archivist
Ashley McGhee Whittle served as Assistant Archivist and Special Collections Assistant from 2019-2023, she served as Lead Archivist in 2024, and she was named Head of Special Collections and University Archivist in 2025. Prior to that she worked in the archives at Biltmore Estate and as the administrative assistant in the UNC Asheville History Department. She brings a love of regional history and a passion for helping students to the job. Her current research interests include the implementation of convict labor in relation to the building of the Western North Carolina Railroad from Old Fort to Swannanoa. She is a 2016 graduate of the UNC Asheville History Department with her BA in History and also has a minor in Environmental Studies, graduating cum laude. She is a 2022 graduate of UNC Greensboro with her Master’s in Library and Information Studies (MLIS). She teaches as an adjunct for the UNC Asheville History Department; her classes include Appalachian History, Environmental History, and History of the United States to 1865. Contact her at amwhittle@unca.edu