Aspen Institute Ascend Fellows
Erin Arango-Escalante
All Children Thrive
Founder & Principal
Wisconsin
Jovanna Archuleta
LANL Foundation
Early Childhood Community Outreach Director
New Mexico
Deana Around Him
Child Trends
Research Scholar
Maryland
Katherine Beckmann
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
National Policy Director for Children and Families
California
Chris Bennett
Wonderschool
CEO & Co-Founder
California
Rashida Brown
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner
District of Columbia
Nathan T. Chomilo
Minnesota Department of Human Services
Medicaid Medical Director
Minnesota
Mary Alice Cohen
Colorado Department of Early Childhood
Deputy Executive Director
Colorado
Twylla Dillion
HealthConnect One
Executive Director
New York
Ciara Garcia
Social Venture Partners International
President and CEO
Arizona
Blythe Keeler Robinson
Sheltering Arms Early Education and Family Centers
President and CEO
Georgia
Lucy Marcil
Boston University
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Massachusetts
Emily Miller
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women and Infants Hospital
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Division Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Rhode Island
Roxana Norouzi
OneAmerica
Executive Director
Washington
Adrián A. Pedroza
Abriendo Puertas | Opening Doors
National Executive Director
New Mexico
Teresa Ramos
Illinois Department of Early Childhood
Secretary
Illinois
Tonja Rucker
National League of Cities
Director for Early Childhood Success in the Institute for Youth Education and Families
Maryland
Kimberly Seals Allers
Irth
Founder
New York
Jessica Saniguq Ullrich
Washington State University
Assistant Professor
Washington
Leseliey Welch
Birth Detroit and Birth Center Equity
Co-Founder
Michigan
Layla Zaidane
Future Caucus
President & Chief Executive Officer
District of Columbia
Ascend Fellows are a community of values-driven leaders who share an unwavering commitment to our shared goal of intergenerational family prosperity and well-being.