Meet the team
At AscendRural, we’re a team of doers, connectors, and community advocates working to ensure rural people shape the future of innovation—designed with them and for them.
We bring together diverse expertise, but what unites us is a deep commitment to listening first, building trust, and co-creating solutions rooted in the real needs and aspirations of rural communities
Melissa Kjolsing
Managing Director
Melissa Kjolsing is the Managing Director of AscendRural, where she leads the organization and shapes the strategic direction of its impact to support rural communities. She leads the organization’s vision and strategy, guiding programs and partnerships to advance equitable, affordable access to innovation and deliver sustainable solutions to rural America. Read more >
Eryn Johnston
Innovation Strategy & Design Lead
Eryn Johnston is the Innovation Strategy and Design Lead at AscendRural, where she leads early-stage research and discovery to inform business strategy and identify innovation opportunities that support rural well-being. Her work focuses on uncovering unmet needs, framing clear opportunity areas, and assessing where technology can meaningfully address real challenges in rural communities through stakeholder engagement, market and landscape research, and insight synthesis. Read more >
Jess Lake
Research & Operations Lead
Jess Lake is a Research and Operations Lead at AscendRural, where she leads research, program evaluation, and business operations in support of community-driven technology pilots and accelerator programs. Her work focuses on defining success metrics, designing practical evaluation frameworks, and generating actionable evidence to inform scaling and sustainability decisions. She partners with rural community organizations, technology companies, and partners to assess pilot outcomes, guide program design, and translate findings into shared learnings and impact. Read more >
Jose Alba
Director of Community Engagement
Jose serves as Director of Community Engagement at AscendRural, where he leads efforts to build strong, collaborative relationships with rural communities across the country. In this role, he works to ensure that local perspectives shape innovation and that AscendRural’s initiatives reflect the unique strengths, values, and aspirations of rural America. Read more >
Steph Peters
Director of AscendRural Innovation Lab
Steph Peters is a clinical psychologist who specializes in making health care treatment and support easier to access through digital and virtual services. She has led teams across startup, academia, and community settings to improve digital products, user experiences, and virtual care for people seeking support. Read more >
Bob Seward
Innovation and Leadership Coach
Bob Seward, currently serving as innovation and leadership coach at Sourcewell, has been empowering community success through innovation for the past seven years. In his role, he launched a team and processes designed to develop solutions to serve government agencies across the country. Read more >
Brittany Bro
Project Management Lead
Bio pending.
Andrew Stepp
Strategy & Operations
Bio pending.
How we work
At AscendRural, we’re a team of doers, connectors, and community advocates working to ensure rural people shape the future of innovation—designed with them and for them.
We bring together diverse expertise, but what unites us is a deep commitment to listening first, building trust, and co-creating solutions rooted in the real needs and aspirations of rural communities.