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Vice President of Operations and Chief of Staff | Ascend Indiana
Short of ending unemployment altogether, it’s hard to name a benchmark Kate Broshears hasn’t hit at Ascend Indiana, a workforce development initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. As a founding member of the leadership team eight years ago, she is responsible for development, fundraising, research, strategic planning and operations. Her results are characteristic of a lifelong overachiever: $56 million in philanthropic commitments, 15,000 Hoosiers served, 5,000 employed, 750 employers connected, 600% staff growth (from five to nearly 40). “I am most proud of the fact that more than 50% of job-seekers we serve are from underrepresented backgrounds,” she said. One of her signature accomplishments has flown under the radar. A joint study with EmployIndy on the effects of the pandemic on Indiana’s labor market caused state lawmakers to update education and workforce policies last year. Now Indiana has direct enrollment in 21st Century Scholars, requires all high school seniors to file the FAFSA, and limits the number of waiver students that high schools can include in their public graduation rate.
Getting here: After graduating from DePauw University, she started her career as an Orr Fellow at Compendium, a blogging software company. But the daughter of a football coach and lifelong athlete, she always had an interest in working in athletics and providing others with the opportunity to grow through sport. An NCAA internship led to a full-time position in governance communications. During graduate school, she worked as director of operations for Ohio University’s volleyball team and raised $118,000 through a charity race. A friend offered to connect her with Ascend’s founding leadership team during the planning stage.
First job: Cashier and server in the cafeteria at Community Hospital East
Givebacks: Board member, Catholic Youth Organization and IndyHub; volunteer, Indiana Sports Corp. host committees and New Shoe Day
Influential moment: “My younger self couldn’t have imagined the career path I’ve been fortunate to have. As a planner, that fact is one I would have struggled with. Each new experience has been the result of doing good work alongside the team, building strong relationships with those around me, and being open when the next opportunity presents itself.”
Advice: Find your community and invest in building relationships. “Orr Fellowship co-founder Scott Brenton always said, ‘It’s not the what, it’s the who.’ Finding those you can learn from and grow with is worth its weight in gold, both professionally and personally.”•
Check out more Forty Under 40 honorees.
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