Board of Directors

Alisa Noll

founder, board chair | associate, boston consulting group

Alisa currently works as an Product Manager at Afterpay in San Francisco. During her senior year at The Ohio State University in 2017, Alisa founded Ascent Microfinance with the goal of helping eliminate financial inequality in Columbus. After serving as the first CEO of Ascent, she transitioned into being the Chair of the Board of Directors. During her time at Ohio State, Alisa was known as a change driver and was a one of the first graduates of the Integrated Business and Engineering Honors Program.

Chris Timko

Director | Chief of Staff, Slingshot Memphis

Chris is the Chief of Staff of Slingshot Memphis, a nonprofit that identifies and funds high-impact nonprofits focused on poverty alleviation. Prior to Slingshot, Chris worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company, serving clients across the healthcare, nonprofit, and public sectors. Chris previously served as the CEO of the Hilltop Microfinance Initiative, a student-run MFI at Georgetown University. Chris has advised Ascent since its founding in early 2017 and joined the board in the fall of 2018. Chris studied International Political Economy at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Chad Zipfel

Director | Senior Lecturer, Ohio State University

Chad joined the faculty at Fisher College of Business with more than a decade of progressive finance leadership experience in the Corporate space: including Procter & Gamble, L Brands, and private companies in turnaround mode. Outside of teaching, Chad manages his own consulting practice, serves on non-profit / start-up Boards, and is on the local high school football coaching staff. Chad is a graduate of The Ohio State University, and resides on his always sunny 5 acres in Sunbury, OH with his wife and children.