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Alumni Interview: Five Things That Matter with Ashley Libby Diaz '95
Growing up in a small community shapes you in ways you only fully understand years later. In places like Manchester, roots run deep—not just within families, but across generations of neighbors, teachers, mentors, and friends. Burr and Burton has always been part of that ecosystem: a launching pad where students discover who they are, what matters to them, and how they want to make a difference in the world.
This month’s Five Things That Matter profile features Ashley Libby Diaz ’95, whose path after Burr and Burton has taken her from physical therapy to the forefront of the medtech start-up world. Today, she is building a company that has the potential to transform the emotional experience of people facing cancer—a mission shaped by both her professional journey and deeply personal chapters of her life.
1. Where are you these days, and what are you up to now?
1. Where are you these days, and what are you up to now?
I’ve been living in Colorado off and on since the late 1990s, most recently in a town in Southwest CO even smaller than Manchester—hard to believe, but true—since 2024. My husband and I are here with our two cats, doing all the Colorado things: a lot of skiing, mountain biking, climbing 14ers, long-distance trail running, and riding motorcycles.
Professionally, I’ve spent most of my career self-employed or working in the start-up medtech world. After graduating from Burr and Burton, I went to UVM for a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy and practiced in Summit County, CO and Connecticut for a few years. I eventually earned my MBA from the University of Michigan in 2004, and combined my PT background with business, launching groundbreaking orthopedic medical technologies for use in operating rooms for companies like Johnson & Johnson and Smith+Nephew.
In 2011, I started a consultancy focused on branding, marketing, and commercialization for medical practices and medtech start-ups. I served as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer for my clients, and then took an in-house role leading marketing for a medtech start-up into early 2025. In March, I founded Joni Health, a very early-stage company creating Between-the-Ears Gear and psychology-backed “self-agency tools” to help cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers steady their minds and navigate cancer on their own terms.
The inspiration for Joni is deeply personal. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 at age 36; my biopsy was the day before Thanksgiving. I went through treatment and have been cancer-free since 2014, but the emotional journey stayed with me. I later served on boards for organizations like Cancer Support Community SW CO, and heartbreakingly, lost several dear friends to cancer.
Then, in 2022, my dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and passed away in Stowe that same year. It was my first experience as a caregiver through hospice, and it left me with a kind of PTSD I wasn’t expecting. Almost exactly a year later, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Thanks to excellent care and an incredible mindset, she’s living with it and doing well. I’ve also become a patient advocate for my stepfather as he navigates lymphoma.
All of this fueled my desire to bring the mental and emotional aspects of cancer care into the world in a real, accessible way, taking cues from people like Mikaela Shiffrin, who model the power of listening to your mind and knowing when to push and when to rest. Joni will start with things like Distanced Self-Talk t-shirts and friendship bracelets (small, fun cues that help regulate emotions) but the long-term vision is to build programming that hospitals can use to support both patients and caregivers. Every piece is intentional and thoughtful and designed to get you talking to yourself like someone you love.
2. How did your time at Burr and Burton impact the path you took afterward?
When I was a student, I thought I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. At Burr and Burton, I had opportunities to shadow medical professionals, at places like the Stratton Clinic, and I learned a lot about what that path could look like.
But the biggest influence came from one conversation: My teacher and mentor, Jeff Houghton, asked me what I would do if I got a degree in biology and decided I didn’t want to go to med school. He encouraged me to consider something more practical, something I could do right out of college.
Because of that conversation, I applied to physical therapy programs. I ended up being part of the last class in the country to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in PT and still be eligible for licensure. It allowed me to practice, gain experience, and ultimately chart my own direction. Thirty years later, I can still point to that moment and say: my path changed because of Jeff Houghton.
3. What are your fondest memories or favorite teachers from your time at BBA?
I have a lot of great memories from my days at Burr and Burton. I still keep in touch with many friends from high school. Two things I still appreciate most are the traditions of the school, and that the school brings together kids from so many communities. When I was in in elementary school at MEMS, my mom was the PE teacher at Flood Brook. I really loved that I got to go to school with my ‘mountain friends’ and make friends from other communities surrounding Manchester.
As far as teachers, Jeff Houghton is at the top of my list—clearly! He made my high school experience special, as he did for so many others, and he literally changed the trajectory of my life. I came out of college with purpose and a career because of him, and although I only practiced PT for a few years, it set the foundation for my career in ways I could have never anticipated. Of course, there are other teachers and staff I loved and who made such a difference in my high school experience, from Bill Muench and Dan Deforest, who was also my soccer coach, to Kathi Bierwirth ‘81, who did her student teaching with my mom, and Jackie Bell Sargood ‘70, who was also my long-time ballet teacher.
4. When was the last time you were on campus, and what do you think about how BBA has grown?
I was last on campus sometime within the last 10 years, though I can’t remember exactly when. There was definitely no tunnel to the cafeteria that was there when I was a student!
Burr and Burton has always been incredibly beautiful, and that remains true today. The historic buildings, the setting, the energy of the place—it’s such a gift to go to school in that environment. What’s really remarkable is how much the school has grown and evolved. Families in southern Vermont have access to such extraordinary opportunities now, especially with programs that bring in students from around the world.
When I was here, being in school with students in the Link Program introduced us to perspectives and experiences far beyond our own. Those relationships are still one of the things I value most about my time at BBA.
5. You’ve lived in many places, but your roots in Manchester are still strong. What’s one thing you miss most about this community?
There’s something incredibly special about growing up in a small mountain town. You don’t always appreciate it in the moment, but later you understand what a gift it is. That’s probably why I’ve chosen to live in a similar kind of community today.
Manchester is a place where people show up for each other. Even now, nearly 30 years later, I still have people I can call, who I know I can count on. The roots run deep. And that sense of community stays with you no matter where you go.
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