High-performing boards don't happen by accident. They are built — through clear governance structures, well-prepared directors, deliberate design, and the kind of candid, informed deliberation that fiduciary duty demands.

Ascent works with boards to strengthen how they govern, how they function, and how directors engage. Engagements are tailored to what each board actually needs — from a targeted briefing on the board’s role and fiduciary duties or an emerging governance topic, to a full board assessment. A full board assessment entails evaluating a board’s governance structure, board dynamics, and the conditions that enable or constrain effective oversight and typically takes place over the course of one or more quarterly meeting cycles.

Kate has spent more than 25 years bridging the boardroom and the executive suite — working with board and committee chairs on governance effectiveness, guiding boards through corporate transactions, transitions, and emerging risks, and coaching the executive teams accountable to them.

Ascent brings particular depth to mutual fund and ETF boards — where independent directors operate in a uniquely demanding environment defined by an externally managed structure, specific fiduciary requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the annual 15(c) advisory contract review process, and heightened regulatory scrutiny.

For public and private company boards, professional corporations, and other organizations, Ascent provides the same practitioner-level expertise — adapted to each board's specific context and mandate.

AI is reshaping how organizations operate, compete, and are evaluated — by regulators, enterprise buyers, investors, and courts. The governance, legal, and strategic questions surrounding AI are no longer emerging risks. They are immediate business decisions, with real consequences for how companies grow, how they are scrutinized, and how durable their competitive position turns out to be.

Ascent advises two distinct client types:

AI-native companies building the governance infrastructure — documented, validated, board-ready — that turns compliance from a cost into a competitive moat. Enterprise buyers and regulated institutions are increasingly selecting vendors based on the rigor of their AI governance posture. The companies that build it early will have something competitors cannot replicate on short notice: a track record. For AI-native companies targeting financial services and asset management, Ascent brings an additional advantage: deep fluency in how that ecosystem operates, how buyers and regulators evaluate vendors, and what governance posture actually signals credibility in that market — not just in theory, but in practice.

Financial services firms deploying AI into regulated workflows — client communications, compliance processes, operations, and decision support — who need to close the gap between adoption and oversight. That gap is where regulatory, reputational, and legal risk lives.

What makes Ascent's approach distinctive is the combination of expertise it brings to both: deep governance and legal experience, financial services regulatory fluency, and the strategic perspective to connect AI decisions to business outcomes — not just control frameworks.

What this looks like in practice:

• AI governance strategy — connecting governance investment to competitive and regulatory positioning

• AI inventory and documentation — understanding what is deployed, who owns it, and what it means for enterprise sales, disclosure, and oversight

• Vendor and platform evaluation — assessing AI tools and providers against regulatory, operational, and governance criteria

• Control framework design and implementation — adapting existing risk infrastructure to the operating realities of GenAI

• Disclosure review — auditing how AI capabilities are described across client agreements, marketing materials, and filings

• Board and leadership education — briefings and materials that prepare boards and senior leaders to govern AI as a mission-critical risk

Ascent's advisory engagements are practitioner-led throughout and structured to fit where you are — from a targeted diagnostic to an ongoing advisory relationship. Where engagements benefit from additional depth, Ascent draws on a curated network of senior practitioners — former C-suite executives, founders, distribution leaders, and domain experts — assembled to fit the specific needs of each client and designed to deliver practical, actionable solutions.

Board service is demanding — and the expectations placed on directors have never been higher. Whether preparing for a first board seat, stepping into a leadership role on an existing board, or navigating a complex governance environment, directors benefit from focused, practitioner-led guidance tailored to where they are and what they need.

Ascent offers private coaching and educational sessions for individual directors, board leadership, and professionals preparing for board service — drawing on Kate's experience working directly with boards through all stages of a board's lifecycle.

Sessions are tailored to the individual and can cover fiduciary duties and board roles, governance structure and committee design, board-management dynamics, oversight of regulatory and emerging risks including AI, and strategies for effective engagement and leadership in the boardroom.

Mutual fund and ETF boards present a governance environment unlike most others — and even highly experienced directors often arrive without full familiarity with the structure, the regulatory framework, or what their role actually requires. Ascent helps directors get up to speed quickly, contribute with confidence, and govern well from day one.

For executives preparing for their first board seat, Ascent also offers board readiness coaching — helping candidates understand what boards actually need, how to position their experience, and how to contribute effectively.

Good governance matters as much in the nonprofit sector as anywhere else — often more, given the mission and the stakeholders served.

Ascent selectively supports nonprofit boards with governance advisory, board education, and leadership support — bringing the same standards and practitioner depth to mission-driven organizations. Engagements are offered at dedicated nonprofit pricing as part of Ascent's commitment to service.