Stephanie Wade

Stephanie Wade is a world leader in civic innovation and the Founder and CEO of Ascendant, a consulting firm dedicated to solving complex problems in new ways, and developing creative ideas, programs, and services that transform people’s lives.

Prior to this role, Stephanie served as the Director for the first human-centered design innovation lab in the United States Federal Government (Lab@OPM) where she worked across the U.S. Federal Government to develop and deliver human-centered design curriculum and training and helped Departments implement bold new digital and physical services. She also served as the Lead for Innovation Programs and Design at Bloomberg Philanthropies where she led programs that helped over 100 cities around the world use innovation to generate measurable impact.

She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelors from Boston College with an honors degree in Sociology and minor in Studio Arts.