Ashley N. Wesolowski is living her cherished childhood dream of being an expert at helping people. As the service supervisor, team lead manager, and crisis manager for the developmental disabilities and adolescent program at Care Hawaii, Inc., she has that opportunity at the executive level. Since 1999, the organization has provided outpatient mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults through a network of mental health professionals. Along with ensuring patients receive prompt attention, Ms. Wesolowski takes pride in bringing qualified team members to her group and encouraging them to become great leaders while fulfilling her responsibilities to educate them, resolve conflicts, create events, recruit speakers and assist with alumni relations.
A motivational speaker on mental health and a past Women’s Soroptimist Award winner, Ms. Wesolowski has been honored as a distinguished Marquis listee in editions of Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who of Distinguished Professionals. She works closely in multiple capacities with The National Society of Leadership and Success, the country’s largest accredited leadership honor society, in which candidates are nominated by their professors based on their leadership potential. The organization teaches candidates life skills, to structure their goals intelligently, and how to become productive members of society — characteristics that Ms. Wesolowski models to inductees, inspiring them to “be the change” they want to see.
Ms. Wesolowski previously held other positions at Care Hawaii, such as a behavior health technician and a substance abuse counselor, after joining the organization in 2015. Her relevant experience elsewhere in Hawaii has been as a mental health specialist at Premier Medical Group, a certified nursing assistant at Mastercare Home Care & Healthcare, and a direct support worker at Full Life. She is certified by the state and other official entities as a behavior analyst; in COVID-19 contract tracing; as a registered behavioral technician; in executive leadership, advanced leadership and foundation of leadership; and as a certified nursing assistant and licensed practical nurse. A member of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association, Ms. Wesolowski is seeking to expand her expertise by pursuing two master’s degrees, in business administration and health administration, and holds a Master of Science in mental health counseling and a Bachelor of Science in psychology, all from the University of Phoenix.
With all her achievements, Ms. Wesolowski considers her greatest accomplishment as being the mother of four children. Her eldest son has autism, and she is grateful that she specializes in helping individuals with special needs when assisting him. For seven years and counting, she has provided services to special education supervisors throughout Hawaii. Ms. Wesolowski prioritizes assisting families through training as well as consulting and creating positive behavioral plans so that the person with special needs can have the best chance at leading a full life.
Ms. Wesolowski believes her success is the result of her determination and views failure as a learning opportunity that allows her to grow and accomplish her goals. She also credits the unconditional love and support of her fiancé, who has been her constant anchor, especially when she lost her parents to the COVID-19 pandemic. She declares that she would not have been able to perform her professional and personal duties without him.
Further, Ms. Wesolowski is proud and humbled to be a descendant of greatness. Her great-grandfather was a hero who fought the Nazis during World War II. Her grandfather was a world-renowned engineer with more than 128 patents and a General Electric engineer who assisted in building the Hoover Dam. Her great-uncle, a world-renowned heart surgeon, created and patented the pacemaker, tapping into her grandfather’s engineering experience and knowledge.
In the next five to 10 years, Ms. Wesolowski wants to create a crisis shelter for special needs people in Hawaii. Part of her plan is to become a professor of psychology, counseling, and health care after she retires. She sees herself conducting classes for crisis prevention and assaultive behavioral management. Given her wealth of experience, Ms. Wesolowski feels that many individuals and families on the island will greatly benefit from such resources, which she says need to be improved in the region.