At Ascend, we strive to provide opportunities for employees to stretch their skills and advance their careers by moving among business segments, brands and teams — driving personal and team growth while creating a culture where people love what they do, take ownership and are empowered to pursue new career opportunities within the company so we “hire our own talent.”

Elizabeth Ward’s journey at Ascend started with a digital marketing internship at BoardVitals from February 2021 to September 2021, after which she joined the BoardVitals team full-time. She served as a digital marketing coordinator with BoardVitals until October 2022 when she made her move and joined the team at ATI Nursing Education as a marketing automation specialist.

Ascend Communications (AC): How did your previous roles at BoardVitals help prepare you to make your move to ATI?

Elizabeth Ward (EW): As a former digital marketing coordinator at BoardVitals, my responsibilities varied, but cross-collaboration and team hustle were crucial — from content writing to creative requests, campaign planning, post-launch analysis, direct mail, email and social media marketing and more. I also frequently learned new platforms and processes, which enabled me to think methodically and tangentially about the marketing process.

AC: Looking back on your BoardVitals experience, is there anything that stands out?

EW: Between the team-wide hustle and unanimous understanding of a “New York minute,” BoardVitals is a truly unique and amazing company. I can’t think of one specific instance that outweighs another in terms of projects, mainly because every project came with takeaways on what to do next. I liked that about the team — their best practices and collaborative mindset really helped shape my day-to-day approach.

AC: What was the process like making your move? 

EW: Although I joined Ascend during the pandemic, there were several opportunities to meet and collaborate in person. I would frequent the NYC WeWork with some former NursingCE colleagues and when one of them took an external job opportunity, he encouraged me to pursue whatever position would be created in his place.

A few months later, I heard about this new role from a marketing leader in our healthcare segment, and began sitting in on a few meetings and dabbling in shared service work. Because I volunteered for these shared service projects, I had access to some of ATI’s tools and platforms, which was crucial [for me] in getting a better sense of their systems and processes.

One of my most memorable events from this period was being able to take my former colleague’s place at INBOUND, the annual HubSpot conference that took place in Boston this year. I took the road trip with another [former] colleague and interviewed at a rest stop while en route to the conference.

Making my move to ATI was easier because I already knew the platform, teams and industry. After a COVID-canceled graduation and working remotely for a year-and-a-half, the in-person time with my colleagues meant the world to me. Every manager I’ve had has expressed interest in my career goals, which has been crucial throughout this transition.

AC: Can you share more about your role at ATI?

EW: As a marketing automation specialist, a large part of my role involves planning, implementing and measuring almost every aspect of the marketing process. In addition to managing activities in HubSpot, I work closely with team members to plan and develop a holistic marketing strategy that caters to every segment of the customer journey. My daily goal is to optimize tools for improved demand generation, retention and overall marketing outcomes.

AC: How would you describe the culture at Ascend?

EW: Joining a company like Ascend has been excellent. I love that resources and work are shared across healthcare brands. As a firm believer in change, I appreciate being a part of this cross-collaborative culture. It encourages innovation, new and sought-after skills and opportunities to improve processes that align with the reality of constantly evolving demands.

AC: Do you have any words of encouragement to others at Ascend who are considering “making their move?” 

EW: Finding the right fit within a company or team can seem daunting. No matter what team someone is transitioning to or coming from, [our] company culture is really a reflection of every person and every brand. Ascend recognizes growth and provides success pathways for all employees, which shows that the organization is genuinely committed to employee development.

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When team members move to new roles across Ascend, they grow their skills and stretch their capabilities within a company they already know, maintain their benefits and connections with colleagues, and teams gain an employee already invested in the work, mission and culture — one that can ramp up quickly and bring legacy knowledge to their new role. To learn more about career opportunities at Ascend, visit our Careers page.

At Ascend, we strive to provide opportunities for employees to stretch their skills and advance their careers by moving among business segments, brands and teams — driving personal and team growth while creating a culture where people love what they do, take ownership and are empowered to pursue new career opportunities within the company so we “hire our own talent.”

Walter Pultinas started his career at Ascend as an intern on the user experience (UX) team in Tech & Ops while pursuing his master’s degree in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley University. After earning his degree in December 2021, he made his move and became a full-time member of the UX team in January 2022.

Ascend Communications (AC): How did your internship with Tech & Ops help prepare you to make your move into a full-time role? 

Walter Pultinas (WP): I had a wonderful experience working with the UX team helping create interactive prototypes of new product designs, conduct user behavior research studies on current products and support design projects across multiple brands. One of the most rewarding projects that I worked on was the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) mobile app. Through an iterative process involving the NHA product team and the guidance of senior UX designers, I designed the flashcard experience for the app, built an interactive prototype of the proposed design, tested it with users and saw it through the development and product launching stages.

AC: What was the process like making your move?

WP: After interning with the UX team for two semesters, I was encouraged by my manager and UX coworkers to apply for a full-time position upon graduating from my master’s program. I had a very positive experience with both the UX team and my manager, so following two interviews, transitioning to a full-time role was both an easy decision and a smooth process.

AC: Can you tell us about what you’re working on in your new role?

WP: I’ve continued conducting user behavior research and working on product design enhancements like I did during my internship, but I’ve also taken on bigger projects as I’ve gained experience and product knowledge. I’m also working on a UX team initiative to measure the impact that UX design improvements are having on product usability.

AC: How would you describe the culture at Ascend?

WP: I’ve had a positive experience at Ascend so far. Ascend’s focus on embracing change was a key theme to my transition from an internship to full-time work and was on display in all the relationships and conversations that guided my move. It’s inspiring to work with colleagues who are so talented, driven, and team oriented.

Do you have any words of encouragement to others at Ascend who are considering “making their move?”

WP: Ascend has cultivated a supportive and empowering work culture and this, paired with the breadth of opportunities that Ascend offers, makes it the perfect place to pursue new paths.

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When team members move to new roles across Ascend, they grow their skills and stretch their capabilities within a company they already know, maintain their benefits and connections with colleagues, and teams gain an employee already invested in the work, mission and culture — one that can ramp up quickly and bring legacy knowledge to their new role. To learn more about career opportunities at Ascend, visit our Careers page.