Ascend Appoints Evie Woodforde as Chief Operating Officer to Lead Scaled Operations

February 17, 2026 (Arlington, VA) — Ascend, a strategic partner to leading regional accounting and advisory firms backed by Alpine Investors, today announced that Evie Woodforde has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, a newly created role for the firm.

Woodforde previously served as Regional President, a position she held since August 2023, shortly after Ascend’s founding in January of that year. As COO, she will oversee platform-wide operations and growth as the firm continues to scale.

“The scale of Ascend’s growth in just three years—now encompassing over 20 platform firms with more than $700 million in revenue—has fundamentally changed what the organization needs,” said Woodforde. “As Regional President, my focus was on helping individual firms execute growth plans, build talent, and navigate transformation. As COO, my role is to ensure the entire platform scales intentionally and thoughtfully, with the operating model, infrastructure, and execution cadence required to support growth without compromising culture or quality.”

Ascend’s model is designed to preserve the independence of high-performing regional firms while providing the capabilities and resources of a top 25 organization to help them reach their full potential.

“That balance—independence with scale—is what makes Ascend special and what has fueled our growth,” Woodforde added. “As we continue to expand, my focus will be on building systems that scale, developing leaders across the platform, and ensuring we consistently deliver on the commitments we make to our partner firms, their people, and their clients.”

Ascend partners with regional accounting firms generating between $15 million and $50 million in revenue, that demonstrate strong leadership, healthy cultures, and ambitious growth goals. Ascend platform firms currently operate in more than a dozen states nationwide. 

“All of us at Ascend have been blessed to have Evie’s catalytic leadership, strategic ingenuity, execution tenacity, P&L sense, and lovable personality inside our business. She has been absolutely instrumental in manifesting our vision, which she has shaped and amplified along the way,” said David Wurtzbacher, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ascend.

Wurtzbacher launched Ascend in January 2023 as an alternative for regional accounting firms seeking a permanent advantage in client and talent strategy relative to the traditional partnership structure. The platform’s rapid adoption has propelled Ascend into the upper tier of the profession, establishing it as an Accounting Today Top 30 firm in under two years and earning Mr. Wurtzbacher recognition as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting” in each of the three years since its founding.

“As the accounting profession knows better than most, it’s all about the people,” said Woodforde. “Building Ascend alongside David, our talented team, and inspiring partner firm leaders has been the great joy and privilege of my career. The real magic of Ascend is exceptional people committed to serving one another and building something that truly matters.”