Meet the team that gets up every morning passionate about serving you

We live by our values:

Serve whole-heartedly. Own it. Be excellent. Win together. Bring the sunshine.

David Wurtzbacher

FOUNDER & CEO

Erin Stahmer

CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER

David Fulcher

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Bobby Humen

CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Claudia Taylor

PEOPLE

Alexis Kelly

EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS

Sarah Hanly

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Ashley Nash

RECRUITING

Leanna Delgado

RECRUITING

Jay Seva

ACCOUNTING

Amy Day

PEOPLE-FIRST FACILITATOR

Jeff Kelly

CONTROLLER

Matt Siedle

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Leadership Profiles

David Wurtzbacher | Founder & CEO

I believe that an excellent business is one of the most powerful vehicles we have to lift people up. My purpose professionally is to serve others through my leadership and my passion is to revitalize the CPA profession by offering an innovative model for practice management and growth that benefits everyone. That’s why I started Ascend!

My favorite Ascend value is “Serve Whole-Heartedly”. People don’t talk about love much in the professional setting but I see it as a leadership value and core to serving people well.

I am proud to be from Colorado and now live in Virginia with my wife and two children. I am blessed to have spent some formational seasons of life at Wake Forest (BS Finance) and Harvard (MBA). I have worked at JP Morgan in NYC and prior to starting Ascend I was President and CFO of Lightwave Dental.

I love what I do and who I do it with. Everyone is on a journey to achieve their personal, professional and financial goals and I am absolutely passionate about knowing what those are for you and setting up a system in which you can achieve them. Come Ascend with us and reach your goals!

As a dancer turned “product person” turned “people person,” I firmly believe that each of us is on a personal journey to marry our passion, purpose, and highest potential. I’ve dedicated my career to helping individuals, teams, and organizations see new possibilities, clarify their vision, and realize their dreams. This personal passion is reflected in Ascend’s mission to honor and maintain the independence of the firms we partner with, while reimagining what’s possible and helping each other succeed through shared community and support.

My favorite Ascend value is “Bring the Sunshine.” While none of us can show up with 100% positivity every day, this value emphasizes our effort to explore creative solutions and to enjoy the journey with our colleagues just as much as we enjoy celebratory milestone moments.

I am grateful for the educational and professional experience that has led me to Ascend. In addition to studies at Columbia University (BA, Sustainable Development and Dance) and Stanford (MBA), I have built and scaled culture and strategy programs at Alpine Investors and have advised top C-suite leaders across private equity, hedge funds, and F500 companies on talent strategy, talent selection and the development of high performers as an executive at ghSMART.

I am a “West coaster” (from California) living out East (in Boston) with my husband and 14-pound cavapoo pup. On the weekends you can find me out on a run, catching up with a good friend on the phone, or dancing to music as I try a new healthy recipe in the kitchen.

David Fulcher | Chief Financial Officer

I believe that every day is a new opportunity to learn and grow, and that personal evolution is what makes life interesting, dynamic, and joyful. Some of my career “north stars” are the commitment to continuous improvement, treating others with kindness and respect, and keeping open lines of honest communication. I am deeply passionate about Ascend’s mission to empower entrepreneurial CPAs to reach their goals and am proud of the team we are building to do that.

The Ascend value that I strive for is “Be Excellent.” I think of this as a growth mindset, not one of perfection. While attending school in a small town in Iowa, I had a basketball coach who used to say, “Good things happen when you hustle down the court.” I believe the same holds true for work – I strive to provide 100% of my full self to support my teammates in achieving our collective mission: Be Excellent for our CPA partners, our employees, and our shareholders.

After graduating from the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, I started my career at a large investment bank in New York City in the Financial Institutions Group. I then spent close to a decade at an operationally oriented, middle-market private equity firm, focused on the business services vertical. While in PE, I had the privilege of serving in two interim management roles and both companies saw substantial growth through the teams’ hard work and dedication. The opportunity to help launch Ascend and create an industry-leading accounting services platform has already been a tremendously rewarding experience! When I’m not in the office, I enjoy golfing, waterfowl hunting, playing chess, and working out.

Bobby Humen | Chief Development Officer

For as long as I can remember, I have lived with a fierce curiosity and drive to make an impact. Nothing has provided me with more fulfillment in life than figuring out solutions to complex challenges and witnessing the effects my work has on others.

My favorite Ascend value is “own it.” The entrepreneurial spirit is the best way to bring companies and industries into the future. This value highlights the powerful mindset shift that can produce exceptional results when everyone in an organization recognizes the meaning behind their role and holds themselves accountable.

I was born and raised in New Hampshire during the golden age of New England sports. I loved my time at UNC and graduated from the Kenan-Flagler Undergraduate Business Program. I began my career in M&A investment banking and then joined the healthcare team at a growth equity firm in Boston. Prior to joining Ascend, I was part of the founding team and served as SVP of Business Development at LifeStance Health. Through each phase of my career, I have been fortunate to learn from amazing mentors and am excited to use my experience to help serve the CPA profession with Ascend.

My wife and I live in South Carolina where we welcomed our daughter into the world and have another child on the way. Outside of work and family you can find me running, cycling, or catching up on the markets. If you challenge me to geography trivia, I will win. I’m an avid reader and occasionally mix in a classic novel or biography in between my usual diet of business and current events.