Ascend Indiana CEO stepping down
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Jason Kloth, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based job placement initiative Ascend Indiana, will step down from his role as the end of the year.
The organization announced the news Tuesday morning saying Kloth “plans to focus on his family and spending more time with his two young children.”
The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, the parent of Ascend Indiana, said it will work on a transition plan over the next few months. Kloth will consult for Ascend Indiana after stepping down.
“It has been an honor to work with such wonderful colleagues and partners to advance our shared vision for Indiana to be a place of economic opportunity for all,” Kloth said in a news release. “I am confident that Ascend’s momentum will continue.”
Kloth helped start Ascend Indiana in 2016. The initiative has since raised more than $50 million in philanthropic gifts from organizations like the Lilly Endowment, the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and Glick Philanthropies to support Hoosier job seekers.
During that time, Ascend Indiana says it has connected nearly 4,500 individuals to jobs, internships and training opportunities through partnerships with more than 750 employers.
Prior to his work with Ascend Indiana, Kloth served three years as Indianapolis’ deputy mayor of education under former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. Before that, he spent six years in several roles at Teach for America.
“Jason’s leadership and contributions to Ascend and to CICP have been invaluable,” Central Indiana Corporate Partnership CEO Melina Kennedy said in the news release. “He and his team have built an organization with a strong foundation of understanding the talent supply and demand in the state, bringing together leaders across philanthropy, industry and higher education in a shared vision that is making a positive impact on thousands of Hoosiers and developing a workforce for the future.”
Ascend Indiana focuses on serving individuals from historically underserved backgrounds, including those from low-income backgrounds and first-generation college students. The organization has partnerships with 40 colleges and universities in Indiana.