About ASCENT Strategy Group
Moving Organizations From Complex Discussion to Focused Action
Executive Leadership & Experience
I have lived the unique pressures that agency executives face because I have been in their shoes.
Most recently, as the Director of the Child, Adult & Family Services Division for Adams County, I managed a $53.7 million budget and led a division of approximately 330 staff across 16 programs. Prior to that, I served as the Deputy Director for the Colorado Division of Child Welfare, supporting 64 county agencies and leading statewide implementation efforts.
I understand the realities of statutory mandates, workforce resilience, and cross-system collaboration because I have spent over two decades successfully navigating them.
I’m Kari Daggett, MSW, Founder and Principal Consultant of ASCENT Strategy Group, LLC.
After more than 25 years inside public-sector human services and child welfare, I realized something fundamental: lasting change doesn't happen just by rewriting policy or adding another compliance checklist. It happens when executive leaders are aligned, workforces are supported, and organizations are empowered to move from complex discussion to focused action.
Leading teams, championing workforce development, and transforming programs at both the county and state levels has been the privilege of my career. But to dedicate my full focus to making phenomenal, systemic change possible, I stepped out of government to help transform the system from a new vantage point.
THE ASCENT FRAMEWORK
Alignment • Strategy • Capacity • Equity • Navigation • Transformation
"We believe meaningful transformation requires the courage to question what is no longer working, disrupt systems that create harm, and build something better - grounded in people, purpose, and possibility."
Our Mission
Partnering with public-sector and human services agencies to untangle complex systemic challenges, build leadership capacity, and implement sustainable strategies that elevate outcomes for children, families, and communities.
Our Purpose & Vision
Our Vision
A public sector where human services systems have the courage to dismantle what causes harm, and the capacity to build equitable, clear, and sustainable systems driven by the real-world wisdom of the communities they serve.
Our Strategic Approach
Through ASCENT Strategy Group, my approach to untangling complex systemic challenges is grounded in four fundamental beliefs:
Change Requires Alignment: True transformation happens when executive leaders, judicial partners, and frontline staff are completely aligned, moving from complex discussion to focused action.
Data Must Drive Practice: Continuous quality improvement (CQI) isn't just about compliance; it's about ensuring our interventions measurably improve family outcomes and organizational effectiveness.
Expertise Lives at the Front Lines: We must move beyond tokenism to genuinely share power, integrating insights from lived experts and frontline staff to co-create resilient service models.
Technology Should Empower, Not Replace: We advocate for human-first AI strategies that genuinely expand workforce capacity rather than automating legacy inefficiencies.
Lived Experience & Wisdom:
Centering and elevating the insights of individuals, families, and communities directly impacted by human services systems.
Systemic Clarity:
Untangling bureaucratic complexity, statutory mandates, and fragmented operations to build clear, actionable paths forward.
Human-Centered Purpose:
Ensuring every policy, process, and CQI framework serves the well-being of children, families, and frontline staff.
Collaborative Capacity-Building:
Partnering alongside agency leaders to build internal strength rather than external reliance.
Continuous Quality & Learning:
Driving progress through adaptive implementation, evidence-informed frameworks, and CQI.
Sustainable Integrity:
Delivering honest assessment, strategic candor, and practical solutions designed to endure.
Our Core Values
Thank you to the incredible leaders, frontline staff, and judicial partners who have shaped my journey. If your agency is navigating a major organizational shift or looking to strengthen executive leadership capacity, I would love to connect.
Let's strengthen the systems that serve families, together.