Ryan joined Northwestern Mutual in 2000, first as an intern, then as a full-time advisor after graduating from college. He quickly worked to expand his knowledge by obtaining multiple designations, including the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. Ryan founded Ascend Wealth Management to deliver on our promise to be at the center of our clients' financial lives for generations to come.

Ryan is passionate about creating actionable solutions to complex challenges. He develops deeply rooted connections with our clients and finds purpose in our work, particularly when clients make remarks such as "we couldn't have done this without you."

In his personal life, Ryan grew up in Kansas City, MO, and attended Northwest Missouri State University, where he played football and double majored in Economics and Business Management. While at Northwest Ryan met his wife, Susie, and together they have two beautiful daughters, Clara and Cena. In Ryan's free time you can find him cycling, golfing, or watching his daughters at their dance recitals and competitions. He also enjoys a good nonfiction book and is always looking for a good book recommendation!

Katherine joined Northwestern Mutual upon graduating from The University of Kansas in 2009. Although her degree focused on corporate finance, Katherine found her way into the world of personal financial planning during an internship with another firm her Junior and Senior years. From then on she knew financial planning was the right direction for her and sought out a firm that always put its clients’ interests at the forefront. Katherine values the personal relationships and connections that develop through the financial planning process as well as the complex and technical nature of the work. She is motivated by the reality that there is always more to learn and no two situations are ever exactly the same.

Katherine and her three daughters spend a lot of their time outdoors enjoying all that nature has to offer. They love to travel, particularly to the beach and the mountains, and stay busy with activities and their two dogs.

David joined Ascend in 2022 as an investment operations associate and quickly worked his way to his current position as investment operations manager. He oversees the day to day operations on the investment side of the firm, from when a client is first onboarded to when they receive their first portfolio distribution in retirement. He strives to continuously improve not only the experience for the client, but himself. He joined Ascend to ultimately help people by assisting them achieve financial security and have confidence that they can achieve their long-term goals.

David was born in Columbia, MO, but spent most of his childhood in Kansas City. He went back to Columbia to the University of Missouri and received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with an emphasis in Economics and an International Studies degree. He currently lives in Kansas City, KS with his lovely wife Amanda. In David’s free time you can find him spending time with family, disc golfing, and going to concerts.