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
Albert Olivares
Sr. Software Engineer
Alex Stultz
Underwriter
Alicia Chavez
Content Marketing Manager
Allison Thompson
Loan Processor
Angelica Ramos
Jr. UX Designer
Arin Nahapatian
Legal Intern
Art Kang
Sr. Director, Engineering & Technology
Ausleen Acosta
Social Media & Digital Marketing Specialist
Becky White
Customer Service Representative
Bill Brosseau
VP, Business & School Development
Brandon Fortino
Marketing Intern
Carlos Morales
Financial Analyst
Casey Miller
Marketing Operations Specialist
Danny Lopez
Loan Processor
Dasha Scott
School Support Lead
David Diehl
SVP, Analytics & Technology
Dustin Varty
Sr. Director, Marketing
Erica Arvanitis
Marketing Content Creator
Jason Boulter
Business Analyst
JD Ephraim
Loan Processor
Jennifer Ly
Marketing Intern
Jeremy Ogorek
Staff Accountant
Joanna Widmier
Sr. Marketing Manager
Jon Michalik
Director, Origination & Fulfillment
Joseph Kozusko
Co-Founder & SVP, Business Development
Josh Cagwin
Sr. Director, UX & Design
Karol Raymond
Sr. Loan Processor
Katherine Ngo
Jr. UX Designer
Katie Fallon
Quality Control Analyst
Keane Mayer
Director, Partner Success
Ken Ruggiero
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Kevin Boldin
Quality Lead
Kim McNealy
Chief Marketing Officer
Kylie Gard
Sr. Loan Processor
Lauren Garner
Sr. Director, Marketing
Lisa D'Acquisto
VP, Human Resources
Manivannan Karuppusamy
Sr. Program Manager
Meredith Connelly
School Support Lead
Michael Lubensky
Software Automation Test Engineer
Michael Middleton
VP, Product Development
Michelle Beszeditz
Digital Marketer & Affiliate Strategist
Mike Frank
Director, School Partnerships
Olaf Kunkel
Sr. Software Engineer
Olivia Wolf
Social Media Marketing Intern
Patrick Bray
Director, Compliance
Rick Gallagher
VP, Business & School Development
Ruby Kate Galapon
Lead Marketing Intern
Ryan Aditya
Sr. Manager, Business Analysis
Ryan Gray
Chief Financial Officer
Ryan Pearson
UX Front End Developer
Sandi Ovard-Kunkel
Quality Control Analyst
Santhoshi Chandramouly
Sr. Data Engineer
Sara Amirdelfan
Digital Marketing Intern
Seth Formal
VP, Finance & Capital Markets
Shalanda Fuller
Customer Service Representative
Sid Huerta
Sr. Underwriter
Stephanie Albert
Jr. Marketing Data Analyst
Suzanne Sgroi
Executive Assistant
Tayler Grieco
Operations Supervisor
Thomas Waldschmidt
Data Scientist
Tiffany Ferren-Cirino
School Partnership Account Representative
Tristan Fleming
General Counsel
Vanessa Bovell-Villarreal
Underwriter
Zach Taylor
Sr. User Experience Designer
Zara Tariq
Business Operations Specialist
Our Core Values
Stay Connected!
Follow us on social media (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) 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
