Meet Your Ascendancy I.M. Team!

We are a close-knit family of the most team-oriented, forward-thinking, and peppy people you’ll find! We’re based out of Pensacola, Florida, and unlike other marketing agencies, we love coming into work every morning.

Tracey Barnes
Managing Director

Tracey has been with Ascendancy I.M. since 2014 and has been the driving force of our business, bringing nearly 30 years of experience to the table. After graduating from L’Insitut d’Etudes Politiques with a degree in International Relations, Tracey began her career as a Senior Sales Executive for L’Oréal Cosmétiques, where she was consistently rated as one of L’Oréal’s top sales performers in France.

Through a dynamic period of growth, Tracey provided strategic leadership in the concept and business development of Spa Chakra’s worldwide network of luxury spas holding various senior positions. Working in conjunction with premier brands in the cosmetics and hotel industries, Tracey successfully launched spas worldwide, all under the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy umbrella. In 2011 Tracey began representing WTS International, the United States largest spa operator, as VP of Business Development in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Today, Tracey’s invaluable experience in sales, marketing, business development and quality control has been a vital foundation for Ascendancy’s growth and success. She has described her favorite aspect of her job as, “I like having a fresh new perspective to bring to this new business and putting the skills I have acquired throughout my career to work in a new industry.”

In her spare time, Tracey enjoys activities such as running, snow-skiing, riding bikes and boating. She is also very passionate about healthy cooking and clean eating. Tracey also enjoys hosting gatherings for her friends/family and being able to prepare home-cooked meals with her own twist on classic recipes.

Eddie Hill
Operations Director

Eddie Hill has been an invaluable partner, team member, and a tremendous resource for Ascendancy I.M. from the very beginning. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree for Science in Broadcast Communications from the University of Wyoming, Eddie started his secular career in radio and quickly began to develop a passion for all forms of traditional media marketing. Eventually, he transitioned into online marketing, building his first website in 1998.

Today, Eddie holds the title of Director of Operations at Ascendancy and is responsible for designing, measuring, and adapting our Search Engine and Reputation Marketing strategies to best meet the ever-changing rules of the internet marketing game. He has been asked to teach online marketing for thousands of small businesses through local chamber meetings, radio interviews, national association meetings and international franchise meetings. He has also directly consulted hundreds of individual businesses and franchise owners.

Eddie is known to frequently attend seminars, webinars, conferences, reading up on the latest news and trends and speaking with high-level executives and representatives from today’s top online platforms that dominate the internet marketing world to ensure we maintain our competitive edge in our internet marketing practices.

In his spare time, Eddie enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, daughter and son and they all share a love for traveling. He also holds a Scuba Diving certification, making Pensacola a perfect place to settle with all of the old wreckages and reefs to dive and explore. Eddie also is the Owner and Teacher at Prosperous Christian where he shares his passion for the word of the Lord to children and adults within our local community.

Charles Bockwith

Charles Bockwith
Advisor

Charles “Charlie” Bockwith was our first internet marketing client and the spark which ignited Ascendancy I.M. After realizing the need to promote Express Employment Professionals franchises on a local level through internet marketing initiatives, Charlie and his daughter Ashley started proposing similar service options to their colleagues. Today, they are continuing to help staffing agencies flourish in their local online marketing efforts through Ascendancy and are always willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

A Pensacola native, Charlie attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL, graduating in 1981 with degrees in Finance and Accounting. In January 2001, Charlie purchased an Express Employment Professionals franchise office in Pensacola, FL. Since 2004, his Express Employment Professionals franchise has achieved numerous awards, including the coveted “Circle of Excellence” status. Charlie has also been a speaker and certified trainer at Express Services International and Regional Leadership Conference sponsored training events.

In his spare time, Charlie’s hobbies include spending time with the family, boating and slalom skiing. His community service includes participating as the current president of Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers, past president of Cordova Rotary, a Paul Harris Fellow, Gulf Coast Kids House, and Endowment Board Member for St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church. We are truly lucky to have Charlie on our advisory board, who is an indispensable part of the Ascendancy family.

Jeff Powell
Advisor

Jeff started working for Ascendancy I.M. shortly after the business started. He was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida and attended Pensacola State College. After many years of working for Collection Services, Inc. he became the President and owner of the business in 1999. In 2016 he sold CSI to focus on internet marketing along with real estate investing and management. Jeff and his lovely wife Gail have three fantastic sons and two wonderful daughters. He enjoys working in the yard, raising fish in their ponds and stay-cations at the family beach condo.

Judson Bass
Operations Manager

Judson joined Ascendancy I.M. in March 2016 and has worn many hats as a member of our team. Since then, he has been an incredible asset to us with his versatile skill set and creative talent. He is a fast learner with a warm spirit and enjoys quietly assisting clients with their day-to-day online marketing needs.

Born and raised in Harrisburg, PA, Judson moved to Pensacola to pursue an associate’s degree at Pensacola State College. He then returned back to his home state in Pennsylvania to complete a bachelor’s degree at Clarion University, only to once again return to Pensacola and become part of the Ascendancy family. In the office, Judson is a hard worker who pays close attention to details and discovers creative solutions to many of our web development dilemmas. He gives a great deal of focus to the website and social media side of our services but can be found laughing and joking with neighboring coworkers during his downtime.

Prior to joining Ascendancy, Judson worked as an Assistant Manager at a discount store in Navarre, FL. During his spare moments, he can be found spending quality time with his dogs, Prescilla & Misty, traveling, or listening to music. We are proud to have such a valuable member like Judson on our team and know that our business’ success is mirrored by his talent.

Certifications

Meet Lisa Durnell

Lisa Durnell
SEO Manager

Lisa began working for Ascendancy I.M. in November 2018. Her professional accomplishments come from a background in print media heading the Children’s Educational Magazine project. With both parents being in the army, Lisa was born in Heidelberg, Germany, and raised in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. In her free time, Lisa enjoys reading, listening to true crime podcasts, and playing with her two cats Noelle & Tiger Lily.

Certifications

Hanna Moore
Account Representative

Hanna joined our team in July 2019. She is a lifelong resident of the Pensacola, FL, area where she received her B.S.B.A. in Marketing from the University of West Florida.

In her free time, Hanna enjoys going to a Crossfit gym and spending time outdoors with her Goldendoodle, Briar Rose.

Certifications

Heather Booth
Content Writer

Heather joined the Ascendancy I.M. team in September 2019! She grew up in Gilbert, Arizona and moved to Pensacola, Florida to attend Pensacola Christian College to pursue a B.S. in Marketing.

Heather loves spending time with family and friends, and enjoys going on weekly visits to a local assisted living home to spend time with the residents. She has recently been involved in various musical groups, as well as several theater productions.

Emma Crews
Search Engine Marketing Specialist

Emma started working at Ascendancy I.M. in August 2019 as one of our Search Engine Marketing Specialists! She currently lives in Pensacola, where she attends West Florida High School. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis and reading!

Abba Campbell, SEO Strategist

Emma Crews
Search Engine Marketing Specialist

We warmly welcomed Abba Campbell onto our team on August 8, 2020, as an SEO Strategist. Her favorite aspect of the work she does here is the opportunity to work with a great team, of which each member can confidently rely on one another for support and assistance when they need it! Abba was born and raised in Grantville, Georgia until 2014 when she and her family moved to Pensacola, FL. She says it was weird to move from such a small town to a significantly larger city, but looking back, she is very pleased with her family’s decision to make this big life change. During her downtime between studying for her classes and working hard here in the office, Abba can be found spending time with her family, reading books, cooking, or creative writing. We couldn’t be more thankful to have Abba on our team here at Ascendancy I.M.!

Holly Tubbs
Account Representative

Holly joined us in December 2019 as one of our Account Representatives. She is a very detail-oriented individual who enjoys keeping an organized workspace and accomplishing any tasks set before her. Holly loves to learn new things and is always offering to jump in and help others with their work or offer a fresh perspective to a problem.

Holly was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. She moved to Lynchburg, VA in 2013 to attend Liberty University where she graduated with her Bachelor’s in Communications: Advertising and Public Relations. After graduating, Holly worked at her alma mater for 2 years, starting in the Accounts Receivable department and then moving upwards to the Federal Work-Study Program Coordinator. After living in Lynchburg for 6 years, Holly relocated back to the Pensacola area in 2019.

When she’s not in the office, Holly can be found spending quality time with her husband, Jacob, and their two daughters, Chloe and Harper.

Scarlet Covington
Social Media Specialist & Graphic Designer

Scarlet joined our team in August 2020 as a SEO Strategist. She graduated from the University of West Florida in May 2020 with a degree in Graphic Design. In her free time, Scarlet enjoys bingeing Netflix, cooking, and creating digital art on her iPad.

Aaron Wilkins
Principal / Software Architect

Aaron has been a part of our team since October 2015. He has pursued his interest in programming since the age of 10 and has turned his passion into a career.

A native to the Pensacola area, Aaron received his Associate’s Degree in Computer Programming from Pensacola State College. He  is a member of PSC Alumni, the Escambia Amateur Astronomers Association, Emerald Coast Community Makers, the Pensacola Linux Users Group, and Startup Weekend Pensacola.

During his time off, he can be found attending live music events or participating in outdoor activities.