Our Directors

Ashley Stevenson was raised in French Settlement and graduated from French Settlement High School in 2007. She completed her undergraduate studies at Louisiana State University in 2011 and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. Ashley joined the Crawfish Aquatics full time staff in 2012 teaching swimming lessons. In 2017 she became the Director for Crawfish Swim School on Siegen Lane. Ashley takes an active role in spreading the word of water safety to schools within the Baton Rouge community and surrounding areas. She enjoys teaching swimming from ages 2 months up to adults. Ashley has certifications in Infant/Toddler Swimming, Special Abilities, CPR and First Aid/AED. She also attained her certification from the Aquatic Exercise Association to teach water aerobics.

Ashley resides in Denham Springs with her husband, Chris, and four daughters, Adeline (4), Emery (4), Hadley (3), and Sophie (10m). They are members of Lifepoint Church in Prairieville. She enjoys spending time with family and friends. One of her favorite quotes to live by is “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing.”

Kayla Dysart has been part of the Crawfish family since 2006. A Baton Rouge native, Kayla first joined Crawfish Aquatics as a swim instructor. What started as a summer job quickly turned into a lifelong passion for teaching, coaching, and helping children grow in and out of the water.

Over the years, Kayla coached Crawfish’s 8 & Under and Age Group swimmers, trained new instructors, and eventually joined the full-time staff in 2010 as Director of the Developmental Competitive Division. When Crawfish Swim School opened its doors in 2017, Kayla was excited to return to swimming lessons as the Swim School Director. She especially loves helping children build confidence in the water, develop life-saving skills, and discover a love for swimming along the way.

Outside the pool, Kayla stays busy running her small quilt business, TShirt Quilts by Kayla, where she creates custom memory quilts from cherished t-shirts and keepsakes. She also enjoys staying active at F45 Training Bocage and can often be spotted running or walking with her kids through the Garden District. Kayla lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, Marc, their two sons, James and Max, their cats, Ham and Roger, and a lively flock of backyard chickens.

Sarah Widdick was raised in New Orleans and graduated from Ursuline Academy in 2011. She went on to attend Louisiana State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Sociology.

Sarah joined the Crawfish Aquatics staff in 2013 as an age group and developmental coach. In 2017, while working at the Crawfish Swim School on Siegen Lane, she pursued her master’s degree at Ball State University, earning a degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorders. During this time, she also worked for three years as a behavior therapist at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, supporting children and young adults ages 2 to 21 on the autism spectrum.

In the summer of 2019, Sarah returned to Crawfish Swim School as the Adaptive Aquatics Director. She was excited to combine her passion for helping children with her love of swimming, with the goal of building a strong and supportive special abilities program.

Sarah married her husband in December 2023, and in December 2024 they welcomed their daughter, Colette Marie Widdick. She now resides in Southdowns with her family and enjoys spending time with family and friends, and keeping up with all things Bravo.