Named a greater Madison area Top Workplace for the fifth consecutive year, Ascendium Education Group wins high marks from mission-minded employees who have a heart for helping learners from low-income backgrounds.
“It feels really great to be in an environment where we have that shared commitment, but also everyone is just a genuinely kind human,” said Elizabeth “Liz” McNeill, a senior writer in strategic communications at Ascendium, who joined the nonprofit about a year and a half ago. It’s a caring, accepting workplace, McNeill said, where the culture fits with the organization’s philanthropic focus, which involves helping students and families afford school and supporting upward mobility.
Ascendium won the “well-being” Top Workplaces special award, based on employee survey results indicating it “does a great job of prioritizing employee well-being.” People who work there appreciate having health and dental benefits; flexibility and a schedule that supports a healthy work-life balance; and other perks, like “recharge Fridays,” which allow employees to work a half day to end their week in the summers. Katie Chu, a legal project manager, said the latter allows her to spend extra time with her kids.
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Chu has also taken advantage of Ascendium’s student loan repayment program for employees. She and her fellow employees say that the supportive workplace culture aligns with its core responsibilities.
“When I first applied for Ascendium, I was really drawn to the mission — helping people with their career goals, their education goals and postsecondary,” said Chu, who has been with the organization for three years. “You’re able to help and do hard work and do good things for the local community, which is exciting.”
Sydney Bradley, a senior grants management associate, added that the organization supports employees who volunteer in the community as well by providing VTO — or paid time off to volunteer.
Additionally, Ascendium donates $25 per hour to the organization for which an employee volunteers, up to $200 total. “The opportunity to participate in that has been wonderful,” said Bradley, who is a second-generation employee at Ascendium. Her mother, Karine Spencer, works in the organization’s IT security department as a systems analyst.
“Being part of an organization with a history of providing opportunities for people to be successful beyond high school is exciting,” Spencer said. “There are always opportunities to grow in your field while supporting these efforts.”
