Pronouns
she/her
What do you do as a consultant/coach?
Ascend People provides expert HR consulting and coaching tailored specifically for nonprofit and mission-driven organizations. Our work helps these organizations confidently manage their people operations while ensuring compliance, equity, and sustainability.
We specialize in:
- Strategic HR Planning – Developing customized HR strategies that align with an organization’s mission, values, and goals.
- Compensation Optimization – Conducting market analyses, designing equitable pay structures, and ensuring organizations attract and retain top talent.
- HR Compliance & Risk Mitigation – Ensuring organizations stay compliant with labor laws and best practices while reducing risks related to employment policies.
- Leadership & Staff Development – Providing tailored training and coaching for nonprofit leaders, managers, and HR teams to strengthen their HR capacity.
- Outsourced HR Support – Acting as a fractional HR partner to help organizations navigate complex people management challenges.
We don’t just solve HR problems—we empower organizations to create equitable, sustainable, and values-aligned workplaces where employees thrive.
What is your approach?
Our approach is deeply values-driven, equity-centered, and mission-aligned, ensuring that HR is not just a back-office function but a strategic lever for organizational success. We ground our work in the following principles:
- Listening & Understanding the Root Cause: We start by listening to our clients—diving deep into their challenges, goals, and existing HR structures. Through discovery, audits, and data analysis, we pinpoint the root causes of their HR challenges.
- Applying a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Lens: Every solution we craft is designed to promote fairness, dismantle systemic barriers, and create a culture of inclusion. We actively challenge policies that perpetuate inequities and embed equity into all HR functions.
- Developing Tailored, Practical Solutions: We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all HR. Our strategies are customized to each client’s unique mission, culture, and budget. Whether creating policies, processes, or compensation structures, we ensure solutions are realistic, actionable, and sustainable.
- Empowering Clients through Education & Coaching: We don’t just provide answers, we equip nonprofit leaders and HR teams with the knowledge, confidence, and tools they need to manage HR effectively. Our coaching ensures that organizations build long-term HR capacity instead of relying on external consultants indefinitely.
- Fostering Open & Transparent Communication: We communicate clearly, directly, and without jargon. Whether guiding an executive team through a challenging personnel decision or coaching HR managers on compliance best practices, we prioritize transparency and trust.
At Ascend People, we don’t just provide HR consulting; we serve as strategic thought partners, helping organizations transform HR challenges into strengths that propel their mission forward.
How has your experience/background contributed to your work?
Ascend People was founded out of a deep understanding of the unique HR challenges that nonprofit organizations face. Our team brings decades of experience in nonprofit HR management, operations, and equity-driven leadership.
Our founder, Whitney Herrington, has nearly 15 years of experience in human resources, much of which was working with nonprofits, social justice organizations, and philanthropic institutions. Through our team’s collective work, we’ve support over 100 social justice/movement organizations navigate and strengthen HR.