
OUR TEAM AND SPEAKERS
Your leaders and managers have the most impact on performance, which is why every member of the Ecsell Institute team is committed to helping them become high-performing coaches. To do that, we stand firm in these pillars:

Meet The Leadership Team

Bill Eckstrom
Chief Executive Officer
2008–Present
Bill is not just passionate about growth and performance, but truly obsessed. That’s why he founded Ecsell Institute in 2008 – to research the concept and share his findings with as many growth-minded organizations as possible. More than a decade later, his obsession has spawned three companies, two viral TEDx Talks, a best-selling book, and a therapy-dog training hobby. Ask any Ecsell employee and they’ll tell you that his tombstone will probably read “Discomfort is the Only Way to Grow.”
Get to know Bill
Sarah Wirth
President
2011–Present
Sarah’s life passion is understanding what makes people tick. This makes her equally comfortable at dissecting the characters on her favorite TV show as she is discussing how to improve team member performance. After graduating from Michigan Law School, Sarah quickly learned that LA Law had not accurately portrayed the life of an attorney. So she changed careers and has spent the last two decades researching, writing and teaching about what the best leaders do differently. She lives in the KC area with her husband and two sons, whom she constantly annoys with her endless talk about soccer, pop culture and politics.
Get to know Sarah
Kathy Collins
VP of Client Success
2014–Present
Kathy believes that she is a work in constant progress. She is always in- motion to become kinder, smarter, more empathetic, and helpful to those around her. And, simply, she likes to serve our clients in a way that makes them feel like they are encountering someone who really cares about them as an individual. She believes that it is a fantastic privilege to be encouraged to develop and grow at Ecsell Institute. She intends to not waste a moment in her journey with this team and our amazing clients. In her free time she enjoys tending her garden, practicing yoga, and overland camping with her husband Mike.
Get to know Kathy
Stacia Jorgensen
VP of Research
2012–Present
Stacia Jorgensen brings an array of experiences and expertise in data collection, analysis, and research reporting to Ecsell as the Vice President of Research. Prior to moving into her role with Ecsell, Stacia led a non-profit academic research organization for nearly 13 years. Loving a good amount of data variation, she has three dogs that range in size from 10 lbs to 140 lbs. Despite being the most logical of all the Ecsell team members, she’s also the biggest fan of trash TV – her Real Housewives knowledge is on par with that of her survey methodology expertise. She resides in the mountains outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and two spunky teenagers.
Get to know Stacia
Will Kloefkorn
VP of Strategic Development
2008-Present
Will Kloefkorn is a Lincoln, Nebraska native and has been with Ecsell since the very beginning. Will has a passion for building deep and meaningful relationships and has spent his entire career in the sales arena. In his free time, he enjoys all things athletics, meditation, psychology, and spending time with his wife, Amy, and two children, Jackson and Maryn. His (not so) secret talent is writing poetry, and if you spend enough time with him, you may just be lucky enough to hear him freestyle rap.
Get to know Will
Chuck Schmidt
EVP of Global Accounts
2023-Present
Chuck continues his journey to serve and learn. He has focused his professional life pursuing opportunities to create and support the institutions of education-based athletics and activities. Outside of his professional life, he is blessed with an incredible wife, Kristine, their two children, son Kylen, daughter Madalyn, daughter-in-law Alexzandria, and granddaughter Charlee Marie. His love of the outdoors is reflected through their work on building a small ranch, riding horses, hunting, and watching birds from his office.
Get to know Chuck
Cami Wacker
Leadership Coach
2023-Present
Cami has worked in leadership development her entire career, within higher education, business and consulting. As a lifelong student of good leadership, she is passionate about helping people maximize their potential. Her personal interests include taking in concerts, travel to warm weather destinations, Husker athletics, supporting animal rescues and attending her nieces and nephews activities. Cami is a proud dog mom to Gracie Mocha and Hattie B – her covid puppies.
Get to know Cami
Kenzie Maloney
Sr. Director of Business Development
Kenzie is a Louisville, KY, native who is now planting roots in Lincoln with her fiancé Tyler and their 3 year old yorkiepoo, Kya. She grew up finding competition in every aspect of her life and still remains passionate about competing, especially in sports (recently with an emphasis on pickleball). Since the ending of her collegiate volleyball career at the University of Nebraska, Kenzie has settled onto the Ecsell Sports team and enjoys being able to impact athletes who have had similar experiences as herself.
Get to know Kenzie
Jarrett Proby
Director of Business Development
Jarrett is a Chicago, Illinois native who claims Omaha, Nebraska as his home. He currently spends most of his time with his 4-year-old dog, Milton, and going out with friends he’s made through his volunteer work with Launch Leadership, a non-profit dedicated to empowering youth leaders and building better schools and communities. He began his journey into athletics at the early age of 5, and since then has been extremely passionate about competition. Since graduating from Nebraska Wesleyan University and completing his own athletic career, he has been passionate about helping young athletes become the best that they can be in and outside of their sports. Aside from work, Jarrett is a massive foodie and film buff.
Get to know Jarrett
Ashley Olson
Director of Client Success
2008 - Present
Ashley is a small-town Nebraska gal through and through, hailing originally from Waverly, NE, before moving to Minden, NE, with her husband. She started her career in the agriculture industry before joining the Ecsell team and frequently returns to her family’s farm to run the tractor or combine during planting and harvest. Ashley finds great joy in building relationships with her clients and empathetically relating to them, all the while discovering new ways to learn, grow, and improve to maximize her service to each person she comes in contact with. Outside of Ecsell, Ashley loves a good bowl of ice cream, a competitive pickleball game, watching all sorts of sports, or logging the miles on walks with her two dogs, Sizzle and Bee. She is also known to her colleagues as being one of the most genuine and sweetest people on the planet!
Get to know Ashley
Jackie Luciani
Client Success Coordinator
2023-Present
Originally from the northwest Chicago suburbs, Jackie has settled in Lincoln with her two sons, where she takes joy in supporting her eldest son as he attends UNL as a psychology major and during the summer months you will find her on the baseball field, cheering on her youngest who plays for LSW. With a passion to advocate for clients, Jackie shines in building connections with both her internal and external teams. Beyond her role at Ecsell, she finds solace in journaling, adeptly organizing her book club gatherings, and basking in the sun listening to R&B or by the beach and water. Jackie’s primary focus remains on her ongoing personal development journey and her eagerness to share her learnings with others.
Get to know Jackie
William Eckstrom
Director of Research & Analytics
Will brings to Ecsell Sports a background in psychology and a breadth of experience with youth development. Throughout his entire professional career, he has had ambitions of helping every student-athlete grow as an individual and find success – both on and off the field.
Get to know William
Siera Gage
Executive Director of Marketing
2021 - Present
Siera’s home base is Lincoln, NE, but with her love for travel, you never know where she might end up. She enjoys traveling with her husband, Ron, and their dog, Aspen (not to be confused with Aspen, the office dog). With her background in product management and leadership, she found a passion for people and helping them grow and develop in their career. This includes helping them discover their “why” and the importance of enjoying life outside of work. “Happiness comes from what we do. Fulfillment comes from WHY we do it.”
Get to know Siera
Cole Prohaska
Director of Business Development
Cole, a small-town Nebraska native, has a passion for the outdoors and staying active with anything sports or competition-based. He spends his time hanging out and relaxing with his girlfriend, Seanna, and his two-year-old American Bully, Ace. When he’s not kicking back watching a movie or finding a new recipe for dinner that night, he loves to spend time with his family and friends. A few of the many things he finds joy in are hunting and fishing with his dad, going to the lake on hot summer weekends, and spending time with his 3 nephews. His experiences and passion for athletics throughout his entire life are what drive his desire to improve those experiences for young athletes across the country.
Get to know Cole
Mikaela Richter
Director of Business Development
Mikaela Richter attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in animal science and an emphasis in business. During her time at Nebraska, Mikaela was a member of the Husker Volleyball team and helped them win 2 National Championships and 2 B1G Ten conference titles.
Get to know Mikaela
Brady Oliver
Director of Business Development
2022–Present
Brady recently graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May of 2022 with a degree in marketing, a minor in management, and a sales certificate. Since joining Ecsell Institute, Brady is developing in his role as Director of Business Development with the help of his colleagues at Ecsell Institute. Brady resides in Lincoln, Nebraska, and spends his free time traveling, playing sports, watching movies and trying new things with friends.
Get to know Brady
David Peterson
Leadership Coach
2023-Present
David’s passion is helping people achieve their goals. He has more than 35 years of experience in leadership and leadership development. He has held senior executive positions leading strategic planning, sales, marketing, communications, and operational departments, and the result of this experience is his belief that great coaches win through exceptional teams. His most significant learning is that everyone has special talents, helping people understand those talents is a significant accelerator to performance.
Get to know David
Claire Eckstrom
Executive Director of Brand Experience
2018–Present
Like all good New Yorkers, Claire is fed equally by the chaos of the city & a good slice of pizza. She spent 6 years in the luxury fashion business prior to joining Ecsell, which included traveling to Milan & Paris four times a year for Fashion Week. Despite her city living and international travel, Claire’s Nebraska roots run deep. She’s a skilled archer and travels back to her family’s rural hometown every fall for hunting season. And yes, she’d be happy to join your apocalypse survival team.
Get to know Claire
Aspen
VP of Office Therapy
2008–Present
When Aspen isn’t working in the Ecsell offices, she’s busy at children’s hospitals, senior homes, and with athletic teams. She’s a certified therapy dog and has an unmatched intuition that tells her when someone is in need of some TLC.
Get to know Aspen
BOOK AN ECSELL INSTITUTE SPEAKER
There’s nothing we enjoy more than engaging with and motivating leaders and their teams – whether in the business world, sports arena or education system – to strive for personal and professional growth. Book one of our experts today.

Bill Eckstrom
As a result of his experiences, his company’s findings and his public speaking skills, Bill’s work as a keynote speaker is highly regarded throughout North America. While his audiences call him “profoundly authentic” and “highly entertaining,” Bill is most proud of the fact that his material is based on Ecsell’s science and research – he does not present motivational fluff. He has presented to hundreds of groups ranging in size (25–2,500) and topics (found on his personal website, billeckstrom.com).

Sarah Wirth
Sarah has presented to executives from across the globe with organizations such as Mercedes Benz, Estee Lauder, Ritz Carlton, Cheesecake Factory and many more. Her expertise in coaching and leadership, combined with her fact based, common sense approach to their application make her a sought after presenter at any event.

Will Kloefkorn
Will brings a refreshing approach when presenting to senior leaders by challenging his audiences to think about their impact on the performance, lives and general wellbeing of those on their teams. He articulates the emotional and psychological skillsets that organizations must possess in order to learn something new, create a strategy, and turn that strategy into execution that creates sustainable growth. Some of Will’s most highly regarded keynotes are based on Ecsell’s “The Coaching Effect Survey” research and findings. Will’s most popular keynote is called It’s What You Aren’t Hearing from Your Employees That Is Limiting Your Growth.