Dr. Candace Ashton-Forrester is a professor and coordinator of recreation therapy in
the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences at the University of North Carolina
Wilmington. She joined the faculty at UNCW in August 2002. She has three degrees in
the area of recreation and leisure, all with an emphasis in recreation therapy. She earned
her PhD from the University of Illinois—her dissertation was titled “The role of leisure in
the bereavement process of later-life widows.” She earned her BA from the University of
Florida and her MS from Florida State University.
Prior entering graduate school and academia she was a recreation therapist for almost ten
years in a variety of settings including infant stimulation, community mental health,
domestic partner abuse, and long-term care. Prior to coming to UNCW, she taught
therapeutic recreation at Longwood University, the University of North Carolina Chapel
Hill, and the University of Florida. In addition to her primary appointments in recreation
or leisure departments/programs, she was also a faculty member with the Center for
Recreation and Disability Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and with the Institute on Aging at
the University of Florida; and is currently on the Gerontology faculty at UNCW.
Dr. Ashton’s teaching emphasis is in the area of recreation therapy program and
intervention planning, implementation, administration and evaluation. Dr. Ashton has
held numerous elected and appointed positions with the National Therapeutic Recreation
Society, including President from 2001-2002; the American Therapeutic Recreation
Association; the National Recreation and Park Association; and the National Consortium
for Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities. She is currently
on the board of directors for the Recreational Therapy Foundation, ACCESS and Miracle
League of Wilmington, the Ability Garden at the New Hanover County Arboretum, and
the Wilmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. She has received numerous
awards and honors including the ATRA Scholarly Achievement Award, the NTRS
Distinguished Service Award, and the, the University of Florida’s College of Health and
Human Performance’s Distinguished Alumni Award. She is a Senior Fellow in the
National Academy of Recreational Therapists and the American Leisure Academy; and a
member of the Academy of Leisure Sciences.
Dr. Ashton is credentialed as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist by the
National Council on Therapeutic Recreation Certification and as a licensed Recreational
Therapist by the North Carolina Board of Recreational Therapy Licensure.
Dr. Asthon’s research has focused on leisure behavior and recreation therapy using a
variety of social theories and research methods for studying healthy and frail older adults,
bereavement in older women, older women and retirement, older women’s friendships,
senior games and athletes, as well as wheelchair athletes, post gastric by-pass patients,
and even Parrotheads. She has published over 30 refereed journal articles and 20 refereed
abstracts, co-authored two books and seven book chapters. In addition she has given over
175 presentations at international, national, regional, and state meetings, and has received
over 1.1 million dollars in external grant funding from such sources as the U.S.
Department of Education.