Robyn Grable is the Founder and CEO of Talents ASCEND and Veterans ASCEND, now part of The ASCEND Collective (501c3), which she created to help employers invest in a skills-based talent acquisition strategy that is an intentional model of inclusivity for military talent, people with disabilities and justice-involved candidates. An award-winning advocate, speaker, author, entrepreneur, CEO, and proud Navy veteran Robyn Grable does many things. Yet woven throughout her diverse pursuits is a mission of service—and a passion to give a voice for underserved talent to be included. Her unwavering commitment to inclusive employment is well-served by her corporate and military experience, including more than 30 years of private sector human resources after nine years of service in the U.S. Navy. Her ongoing study of America’s workforce has made her a leading voice on advocacy, removing barriers and providing connections to successful employment for our underserved talent pools. In recognition of her work, Robyn was named among the 2023 GSA Women of Influence and a 2023 Veteran Champion of the Year in Corporate America by G.I. Jobs Magazine. In the private sector she focused primarily on workforce management, human capital planning, recruitment, process and procedure evaluation, strategic alignment and relationship management. She created skills assessment programs at blue chip companies McDonald’s Corporation and McGraw-Hill and during her tenure as a Strategic Client Partner at ADP, a leading human capital management firm, Robyn successfully managed and grew the largest client portfolio of Fortune 100 companies. Today she is focused entirely on ensuring the skills of veterans, military spouses, the disability community and second-chance candidates are recognized and valued for their talent and that America’s employers implement intentional change to realize the full value of diversity, equity and inclusion for all to truly ascend.