Ascend Indiana strives to strengthen Indiana's economy by connecting talent to job opportunities and building new talent pipelines in partnership with employers and higher education institutions.

Experienced executive with a 15+ year track record of leading and scaling revenue for early and growth-stage companies.

As the Chief Operating Officer and Partner at Spec On The Job, a staffing and recruiting company, I provide strategic leadership and operational guidance to achieve and surpass our business goals and objectives. With more than 10 years of experience in business development, customer relationship management, and human resources, I have a proven track record of growing and sustaining a self-reliant company that delivers value to our clients and stakeholders. My mission is to build companies, grow great teams, and have my work improve the world. I am passionate about developing and implementing effective growth strategies and processes, collaborating with the management team and other departments, and creating a culture of excellence and accountability. I am also OSHA Certified, with expertise in ensuring compliance and safety standards for our workforce. I am always looking for new opportunities and challenges to leverage my skills and make a positive difference in the staffing and recruiting industry.

Hands on, SaaS Software Leader with a proven track record of leading large scale, global R&D and DevOps Organizations. Significant experience transforming enterprise applications into SaaS in the Cloud and fostering a DevOps culture.

Team leader & consultant with over 20 years experience in digital/performance marketing, international growth, and business analytics across B2B, SaaS, travel, education & retail. Built out innovative B2B affiliate and partnerships team at AIM, working with clients and partners to redefine how affiliates fit into the greater partner ecosystem. Global strategy, program development and revenue responsibilities in the US, Europe, Latin America, & APAC, with background in multi-channel digital programming (search, display, comparison shopping...), as well as offline (partnerships, PR, event management...).

Jason Loomis is an experienced Chief Information Security Officer and has a BS in MIS from the University of San Francisco and an MBA from the University of Oregon. Jason is; CISSP, CISM, CISA, multiple GIAC, and SCUBA certified. No, really, he does SCUBA – it's the most exciting and relatable of his certifications, for sure. He has extensive experience in Cybersecurity in M&A, IPO and pre-IPO, e-commerce, SAAS, healthcare, and banking and finance. While cybersecurity may be his chosen career path, his passion, drive, and intellectual curiosity are in leadership, organizational decision-making, and giving to those who have less through national and international disaster relief. He also frequently argues the case with himself that it's these very interests that make him a better cybersecurity practitioner… it's not entirely clear who is winning that argument or why he bothers arguing with such a frustrating individual.

For over 10 years I’ve helped my clients grow their businesses with video. I've worked both as a solo production crew and have led teams to create award winning video content. I love collaborating with my clients to create the best story driven content for their needs.

Jason Maghanoy is a graduate of McGill University and the National Theatre School of Canada’s Playwriting Program. Currently, he is the Group Publisher at SJC Media leading its events business, as well as three of its iconic media brands: Canadian Business, Toronto Life and Maclean’s. Prior to SJC Media he was the Director of Revenue at NOW Magazine, Senior Development Officer, Corporate Partnerships at Canadian Stage, the Manager, Community Investment at Toronto Arts Foundation, and a Sponsorship & Advertising Coordinator at TIFF. In addition to his work in corporate partnership development and digital media, Jason is considered one of the brightest emerging leaders in the City of Toronto. He is a Mentor at TMU’s Social Ventures Zone, as well as a member of the TELUS Community Board. Jason is also a playwright. He has been the playwright-in-residence at Theatre Passe Muraille and Young People's Theatre, a member of the Banff Playwrights Retreat, a member of the Playwrights Retreat at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, a former member of the Tarragon Playwrights Unit, and a Finalist for the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwriting Fellowship at Juilliard.