Stephanie Wade is a consortium member and the Founder and CEO of Ascendant, a global innovation consulting firm that helps organizations apply best practices in innovation to solve complex challenges, train staff, and develop strategies to build a culture of innovation.

Previously, Stephanie worked at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where she managed a $65 million portfolio of innovation programs, supporting over 400 cities worldwide in addressing social and public challenges. She also served as the Director of the U.S. Federal Government’s first design-based innovation lab (Lab@OPM) and played a key role in establishing Booz Allen Hamilton’s human-centered design innovation practice.

Stephanie is an adjunct faculty member at IIT’s Institute of Design. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, a Practitioner’s Certificate in Design Thinking from the Austin Center for Design, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Studio Arts from Boston College.