Bryan Ashton

Managing Director / Head of Trellis Strategies

Trellis Strategies

Sep 2023 - Current (3 years 2 months)

Chief Strategy and Growth Officer

Trellis

Jun 2022 - Current (4 years 5 months)

As a member of the executive management team reporting directly to the CEO, I shape the strategic direction of Trellis and provide regular counsel to both executive leadership and the Board of Directors.

I lead multiple enterprise functions, including Higher Education & Workforce Consulting Services, Research & Public Policy, Government Affairs & Contracting, Strategic Planning, Student Support Services, Marketing, Sales, and Communications.

Key achievements and responsibilities include:

Program Development: Designed and manage a federally funded initiative supporting over 70 institutions and 450,000 students, focused on improving retention, completion, and loan repayment outcomes. This includes student outr

Co-Founder

Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance

Jan 2020 - Current (6 years 10 months)

The Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance is a network of professionals dedicated to bringing together post-secondary organizations to inform national conversations that impact the financial wellness field, public policy, and educational support services.

Vice President - Community Investment & Government Affairs

Trellis

Jul 2017 - Jun 2022 (5 years)

• Responsible for the oversight of the organization's Research, Public Policy, Student Success Initiatives, Default Prevention and Student Support Call Center, Institutional Consulting Services, and Government Affairs functions.
• Deliver consulting regularly with institutions on matters related to enrollment growth, financial aid and student success. Actively administer projects to better understand the role that student’s finances play in student success.
• Manage a federal program supporting over 70 MSI’s in enhancing their retention, graduation and loan repayment outcomes (approximate student enrollment over 400,000).
• Lead State / Federal government affairs efforts (including management of outsourced resources) includin

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Co-Founder and Co-Chair

Higher Education Financial Wellness Summit

Oct 2016 - Jan 2020 (3 years 4 months)

The Summit was integrated into the Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance.

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Director of Student and Institutional Success

TG now Trellis

May 2016 - Jul 2017 (1 year 3 months)

TG (now Trellis) promotes educational access and success so that students can realize their college and career dreams. TG's Student and Institutional Success (SIS) team provides consultative services to college and universities that are looking to improve their support related to student financial wellness. SIS provides institutional level consulting, tools/resources and direct services to students on campuses around the country. Through this TG hopes to alleviate the financial barriers that are preventing students from being success throughout the student lifecycle (pre-college, in-college and post-college). For more information, please visit tg.org

Visiting Practitioner

Wuhan University

Apr 2015 - Jun 2015 (3 months)

Commission Member

Create Columbus Commission

Dec 2014 - May 2016 (1 year 6 months)

The Create Columbus Commission (CCC) is a board of young professionals (YP), appointed and funded by the Mayor and City Council President to serve as the community’s foremost thought leader on young professional interests, experiences, and priorities. Through strategic community building efforts and a targeted YP grants program, the CCC strives to make Columbus the nation’s number one place for YPs to live, work, and play.

Assistant Director

The Ohio State University

Feb 2014 - May 2016 (2 years 4 months)

Work with a team of professionals to deliver financial wellness and holistic wellness programs to a campus of over 55,000 students

Manage assessment activities around financial literacy interventions and participate on numerous research teams, including a multi-institutional national instrument on college student financial wellness

Assist with national outreach related to financial literacy program development and statewide/federal policy

Work with campuses across the country to develop financial wellness/literacy programs

Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the National Summit on Financial Wellness

Assist in the operations of the Center including budgeting and planning, space allocation and rec

Senior Program Coordinator

The Ohio State University

Jul 2013 - Jan 2014 (7 months)

Coordinate the Scarlet and Gray Financial Coaching Program, research surrounding financial literacy and provide strategic growth for the program including full time staff, student staff and student volunteers;

Coordinate and develop holistic wellness programming; provide guidance and leadership to student volunteers; planning and promotion of events;

Assist with fiscal operations, budgeting and planning and grant writing for the Center;

Coordinate and carry out formal assessment of programming;

Assist with campus wide outreach and leadership of campus wide committees

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Co-Founder and Co-Chair

National Summit on Collegiate Financial Wellness

Jan 2013 - Oct 2016 (3 years 10 months)

Organized and lead the effort to bring together financial education/wellness professionals across the State of Ohio for a Statewide Summit on Collegiate Financial Wellness in 2013. This event grew into the Inaugural National Summit on Financial Wellness, bringing together over 160 professionals, from 100 institutions and 34 states to discuss emerging trends in collegiate financial education. In 2016 the Summit attracted over 280 participants from around the United States and Canada.

The event is continuing in it's second annual year and The National Summit on Collegiate Financial Wellness exists to unite educators with a passion for student financial wellness, regardless of their functional areas of work within higher education

Coordinator of Financial Wellness

The Ohio State University

Oct 2012 - Jul 2013 (10 months)

Coordinate the Scarlet and Gray Financial Program, a group of 40 peer educators focused on providing 1:1 and large group financial education

Deliver one on one and large group financial advice to students

Serve as the Chair for the Ohio State Office of Student Life's Financial Wellness Advisory Board

Coordinate the Student Wellness Center's Wellness Ambassador Program, a group of over 60 students focused on raising awarness and enhancing student wellness through passive and active programming and marketing

Coordinate the Student Wellness Centers misuse of prescription drug efforts in conjunction with Generation Rx and Cardinal Health

Co-Chair - University Sexual Violence Committee

The Ohio State University

Sep 2011 - Jun 2012 (10 months)

Assisted in the development of new language for the Code of Student Conduct around consent and sexual misconduct.

Led monthly meetings of campus partners involved in sexual violence prevention, advocacy and policy work.

Co-Chair Student Life Wellness Collaborative

The Ohio State University

Sep 2011 - Jun 2012 (10 months)

Set agendas and facilitate discussions to enhance student wellness at the Ohio State University.

Convene faculty, staff and students, representing over 25 University departments, to work collaboratively towards common goals.

Assurance

PwC

Jun 2011 - Aug 2011 (3 months)

Worked in the New York Metro Assurance Asset Management group.

Experience in working with Employee Benefit Plans including exposure to Defined Contribution, Defined Benefit, and Health and Welfare plans.

Gained comfort over PwC Audit procedures and documentation requirements.

Chair - Council on Student Affairs

The Ohio State University

Jun 2010 - Jun 2012 (2 years 1 month)

The Council serves as the principal link between student government and the faculty and administration. The Council has the legislative authority and responsibility to make regulations pursuant to rules of the University faculty, the bylaws and the statutes insofar as they pertain to students (including the Code of Student Conduct and Student Organization Registration Guidelines). The Council also serves as the allocating body of the Student Activity Fee and is responsible for the review and auditing of the fee.

The Council is also an advisory body to the Vice President for Student Life. In this capacity, the Council makes recommendations to the Vice President regarding the operations of the Office of Student Life.

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Bryan Ashton

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