Award-Winning Workplace
Ascent is proud to be named a “Best Places to Work” by the San Diego Business Journal and American Banker, and be designated as one of San Diego’s Best and Brightest companies to work for.
1st Place
Best Places to Work in SoCal 2022
San Diego Business Journal
Best Places to Work 2022
San Diego’s Best and Brightest
Companies to Work For Winner 2022
San Diego’s Best and Brightest
Companies to Work For Winner 2022
Meet the Ascent Team
As current and former students, parents, and mentors, our mission is simple: help students achieve their goals. We want to empower students from all economic backgrounds and disciplines to maximize the return on that investment. Supporting students on their journey through school is important to us, which is why we’re proud to partner and co-create with college students. By staying true to our mission, values, culture, and service to our community, we have been named “Best Places to Work” and named Best Private Student Loan for 2021 by Forbes Advisor and NerdWallet.
Get to know us
Abby Liu
Marketing Intern
Adam Beier
Data Engineer II
Adam Vaughan
Principal Software Engineer
Albert Olivares
Software Engineer III
Alex Acosta
Software Engineer III
Alex Stultz
Underwriter
Alicia Chavez
Director, Brand & Content Marketing
Allison Thompson
Loan Processor
Andrea Jenkins
Director, Student Success
Arin Nahapatian
Associate Counsel
Art Kang
VP, Technology
Ausleen Acosta
Social Media & Digital Marketing Specialist
Avery Ryder
Software Engineer III
Aziza Read
Product Marketing Manager, Growth Initiatives
Becky White
Customer Service Representative
Bill Brosseau
SVP, Business & School Development
Bill Dusha
Software Engineer III
Bre Knight
Content Writer
Brooke Schumacher
Marketing Intern
Carlos Morales
Senior Financial Analyst
Caroline Menendez
Director, School Partnerships
Casey Stenger
Project Manager
Christina Xie
Senior Treasury Accountant
Crista Wray
Senior Product Manager
Dagem Befikadu
Software Engineer I
Dana Berry
SVP, Marketing
Danny Lopez
Loan Processor
Danny Witt
Credit Risk Analyst
David Diehl
SVP, Analytics & Technology
DK Kim
Marketing Data Analyst
Dora Kram
UX Designer
Emily Skoubo
Senior Human Resources Generalist
Erica Arvanitis
Email Marketing Manager
Erin Swenson
Coach & Content Creator
Felicia Wetzel
Lead Coach & Program Producer
Frank Fortunato
VP, Data Engineering
Gemma Cook
Marketing Intern
Gus Amezcua
UX Front End Developer
Haixin Guo
UX/Design Intern
Jacob Lin
Director, Finance, Treasury & Accounting
Jake Terrell
Manager, Treasury & Capital Markets
Jamie Kautzman
Customer Service Representative
Jamila Aliyeva
UX/Design Intern
Jannette McKinley
Customer Service Representative
JD Ephraim
Loan Processor
Jennifer Ly
Project Coordinator I
Jeremy Chavez
Senior IT Specialist
Jessica Deyglun
Treasury Operations Associate
Joan Altoveros
Marketing Coordinator
Joanna Widmier
Director, Engagement Marketing
John Gross
Business Data Analyst
Jon Ericson
Director, Digital Communities
Jon Michalik
Sr. Director, Origination & Fulfillment
Josh Cagwin
VP, User Experience
Josh Deason
Quality Assurance Engineer
Joy Bullen
Senior Content Manager
Julian Caravantes
Senior Analyst, Corporate Strategy
Karol Raymond
Senior Loan Processor
Katherine Ngo
Senior UX Designer
Katie Fallon
Quality Control Analyst
Katie Miller
VP, Product Development
Kaylee Ann Torio
Media Marketing Intern
Ken Ruggiero
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Kevin Boldin
Quality Manager
Krishna Chaitanya Dhenuva Konda
Principal Data Architect
Kristen McCarthy
Senior Director, Growth Marketing
Kylie Gard
Senior Loan Processor
Lisa D'Acquisto
VP, Human Resources
Lorenza Gil-Kabande
Engagement Marketing Specialist
Malia Capen
Video Marketing Intern
Mars Cheung
Senior Software Engineer
Marty Herrick
VP, Business & School Development
Meredith Connelly
School Support Lead
Michael Middleton
VP, Product Development
Mike Prosper
Chief Technology Officer
Olaf Kunkel
Software Engineer IV
Olivia Arneson
Growth Marketing Coordinator
Olivia Wolf
Digital Marketing Intern
Pam Hughes
Product Director
Patrick Bray
Director, Compliance
Paul Bartlett
Software Engineer I
Rick Gallagher
VP, Business & School Development
Ricky Albanese
Data Engineer
Ryan Aditya
Director, Business Analysis
Ryan Gray
Chief Financial Officer
Ryan Pearson
Senior Web Developer
Ryan Valenzuela
Customer Service Representative
Sam Jaquez
Content & NLG Specialist
Santhoshi Chandramouly
Senior Data Engineer
Seth Formal
VP, Corporate Strategy & Capital Markets
Seth Reynolds-Mohler
Director, School & Digital Partnerships
Shalanda Fuller
Customer Service Representative
Sid Huerta
Lead Operations Support Specialist
Simon Schultz
Manager, IT Operations
Susan Bussolari
Executive Assistant
Suzanne Sgroi
Talent Acquisition Partner
Tatum Drinnenberg
Executive Assistant
Tayler Grieco
Operations Manager
Tristan Fleming
General Counsel
Vanessa Bovell-Villarreal
Underwriter
Xing Li
Sr. Manager, Capital Markets
Zach Taylor
Lead UX Designer
Our Core Values
Stay Connected!
Follow us on social media to get the latest updates on giveaways, scholarships, announcements, and our benefits.
We share tips and resources to help them make better financial decisions that last beyond school. Follow Ascent to see for yourself!
What are others saying about Ascent?
Being young I don’t have a strong credit history. Ascent made it possible for me to have my own loan without the help of others – I’m thankful I found them.
Nikara M.
Western Washington University
It was the only decent loan provider that would accept a non-cosigned loan. My loan manager helped a lot.
Robert C.
Texas A&M University
The best thing about Ascent is the fact that they make the process easy. I was able to do everything online and the money was sent directly to my school.
Anjellica C.
Northern Arizona University
Ascent stands out for its range of payment reduction and postponement options, rare among private lenders. Borrowers can choose a graduated repayment plan, which provides a lower monthly payment to start that increases over time.” Read more
Forbes Advisor
What type of loan are you looking for?
Checking your rate will not impact your credit score.
College Loan
For students seeking their undergraduate or graduate degree from a university or college.
Bootcamp Loan
For students attending a coding bootcamp school pursuing a degree in technology, professional training, or licensure training.