Ash Dotson grew up in a military family living in places such as Libya, Italy and Denver Colorado. He also served in the Air Force as a systems analyst for 6 years, mostly in California. After the Air Force, Ash worked in electronics and furthered his education with an emphasis in mechanical and environmental engineering. He then began a successful career as a test engineer on rocket and satellite motors with Morton Thiokol (now Northrup Grumman). Ash continued to pursue more education with an emphasis in psychology and counseling theory.
At the age of 39 as a single parent, Ash felt was at a crossroads in his life. He asked God for help and began to follow Christianity. After a few years he felt the call to full time pastoral ministry and resigned his position as supervisor of test operations for what had become ATK/Thiokol and went to seminary at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University (American Baptist) in Philadelphia, Pa. Ash worked as an associate pastor for 3 years with the United Methodist church during his studies and received an MDiv in 2006 with a 3.94 GPA. At that time he was appointed as a senior pastor and continued in that role for 9 years. During that time, Ash led many mission trips and began several ministries, some of which are still going strong.
After a total of 12 years in pastoral ministry Ash felt lead to help individuals hear the voice of God in their lives through Spiritual Direction, and began a two year Spiritual direction training program with the Haden Institute at the Mount Carmel Spiritual Center in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. He was then certified in Jungian, Mystical, Christian Spiritual Direction. Ash then left the UMC and joined the American Baptist Church where he was ordained. When Mary, Ash’s wife received an appointment in the Desert Southwest Conference from the Susquehanna Conference, Ash resigned from the church he was serving in Corning, New York and they moved west where he had hopes of starting a Spiritual Direction practice.
Ash has also taken enneagram training and is an enneagram typing facilitator and coach. In addition he has begun clergy coaching training with the Desert Southwest Conference of the UMC. Ash has hosted workshops in church visioning and the enneagram and taught many adult Sunday school classes. Ash has rejoined the United Methodist Church and last served Page Community UMC in Arizona. He is also currently editing a book (volume 1) he wrote on John’s Gospel.
Ash is married to Mary Dotson who is an ordained elder serving Green Valley UMC in Henderson, NV, and they have a 65 pound 10 month old doodle named Charlie. They have children and grand children spread from the east coast of the U.S. to France. They enjoy the beach (one of their thin places) and hiking, especially the Sonoran Desert.
