About Us
At Ascend Communications, we’re not just consultants; we’re catalysts for meaningful change. We specialize in empowering businesses to unlock the full potential of their employees, navigate transformative shifts, and instill a sense of pride in their company. Together, we shape cultures that celebrate dedicated, high-performing teams.
Our Leadership
Meet our visionary founder, Michelle A. Nelson, a communication maestro with over 25 years of expertise spanning diverse sectors such as healthcare, government, higher education, and pharmaceuticals, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, DSM Fine Chemicals, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Michelle’s journey includes stewardship of iconic brands like Enfamil, Synthroid, and Detrol during her tenure with top-tier advertising agencies.
Her dynamic career not only honed her prowess in employee and change management communications, but also earned her numerous leadership accolades and peer admiration. Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a master’s in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University. She’s also certified by the Disney Institute and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.
Our Team
Our handpicked Ascend team is a league of experts, each boasting over a decade of experience in their specialized domains. Their skills encompass strategic planning, employee and change management communications, health equity communications, top tier writing and editorial services, captivating graphic design and videography, and crafting various communication materials.
Led by Michelle Nelson, our team brings a collective experience exceeding two decades to craft and execute communication strategies that propel your business to new heights.
Our Advisory Board
Diversity fuels innovation, and our highly engaged Advisory Board reflects this ethos. Comprising accomplished business owners with diverse backgrounds and rich knowledge, they provide strategic guidance to Ascend, ensuring we deliver unmatched value to businesses like yours.
Dionne Bolar
Dionnie Bolar is President of Property Enterprises Inc. (PEI) DBA PEI Management Group located in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a licensed Broker in Georgia and South Carolina and a Certified Real Estate Instructor with American Real Estate University. Dionnie is a graduate of Mercer University, where she received a BBA in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing & Management from Stetson School of Business and Economics.
Dionnie launched her career in Retail Management for a few years, then had a 17-year career in transportation, logistics, and warehousing. Where Dionnie owned/ managed a 40,000-square-foot warehouse with approximately 100 employees. Dionnie started her career in Residential Real Estate in 1997 where she received numerous achievements and awards for top producing and outstanding sales brokers from REMAX Advantage. Dionnie opened Property Enterprises in 2004 and does business as PEI Management Group. PEI Management Group is a 100% woman-owned and minority-owned business. PEI is a management and consulting firm that is focused on management consulting and real estate needs.
PEI has become a committed partner to many government agencies, small and local businesses, and community groups. Dionnie likes volunteering to help the homeless, veteran organizations, and latchkey kids with a focus on STEM programs.
Jacquelyn Brandon
Jacquelyn Brandon is a Vice President, Corporate Services at Ares where she focuses on leading the administrative professionals in the Eastern and Central regions. Additionally, Ms. Brandon leads the firm’s Internal Community pillar, which focuses on employee engagement, building camaraderie, and enhancing the sense of community amongst all firm employees. She is Co-Chair of Black Women Thriving, on the leadership teams for Ares Black Alliance and Ares Network of Empowered Women (ANEW). Before joining Ares in 2019, Ms. Brandon was an Administrative Services Manager for Deloitte, where she focused on talent management and business support models across the firm. Previously, Ms. Brandon was a Manager, Talent & HR Operations at Prudential, where she oversaw the employment eligibility process for new hires, performance management, employee referral program and vendor relationship management for the organization’s Human Resources platform across the United States. Ms. Brandon recently joined the Board of Directors for Isaiah House (East Orange). She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, where she serves on numerous committees, and she is Graduated member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Ms. Brandon holds a Master of Arts degree from Seton Hall University in Strategic Communication and Leadership and a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Rutgers University (Newark College of Arts and Sciences) in English Literature. Ms. Brandon currently resides in West Orange, NJ with her son, Alonzo, and dog, Thor.
Javier Navar Payan
MSME, P.E., BCxP, CEM, BECxP, CxA+BE
Javier Navar Payan is the CEO and Principal Engineer of Efficiency Commissioning LLC with more than 12 years of hands-on building system experience. He is an advocate for energy efficiency and is dedicated to making buildings work to their full potential. Javier is passionate about commissioning and is currently serving as member of the ASHRAE Building Commissioning Professional Certification Exam Subcommittee from 2022-2025. Efficiency Commissioning LLC is an engineering consulting firm that specializes in building commissioning, recommissioning, and building optimization with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainability.
Chau Nguyen
Chau Nguyen has been Managing Partner of CHAOS Supplies for the last 29 years. We continue to navigate our customers through the daily chaos of keeping their workers safe. Whether through unprecedented times of pandemic or OSHA compliance and audits, we research, test, and develop products to solve our customers’ unique challenges.
She also serves as Adjunct Faculty at Maricopa County Community Colleges, teaching introductory business and economics courses.
David Newton
David Newton has been in the marketing and advertising industry for about 13 years. His start began in search engine optimization and grew out of the need to promote a business he’d just started called SBBSM. While helping clients with SEO, it became apparent that other phases of marketing needed to be influenced. Now, Local Presence SEO helps many clients throughout the United States in web design, SEO, Google Ads, AdRoll, content marketing, and social media management and marketing.
Marie Pavlick
