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
Founder & Chairman
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 BillSarah 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 SarahStacia 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 StaciaMary Spivey
VP of Client Success
2024–Present
Mary’s passion lies in leading initiatives aimed at cultivating exceptional client experience through collaborative efforts within organizations. She has spearheaded initiatives that streamline processes to enhance customer outcomes. As a Customer Success Leader, she strategically engages with teams and clients, consistently delivering outstanding results. Eager to continue her journey, she channels her enthusiasm for leadership into driving organizational excellence.
Get to know MaryWill 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 WillChuck 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 ChuckAshley 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 AshleyWilliam 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 WilliamMikaela 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 MikaelaDavid 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 DavidKyle Craighead
Executive Director of Education
2023-Present
Kyle is motivated to help students have the best possible school experience. He worked for 15 years in public education as a science teacher, basketball coach, athletic director, and school and district administrator. Kyle also teaches graduate classes centered on leadership, coaching, and organizational structures with Lipscomb University. He is passionate about connecting people and especially enjoys watching friends reach their goals. He is a native of Nashville, TN, and he currently lives there with his wife, Elizabeth, their daughter, Anna, and their dog and cat.
Get to know KyleAspen
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 AspenBOOK 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.
Sneha Mandala
In 2014, Sneha moved to the United States to pursue her Master’s Degree. With only $1000 in her pocket and limited English skills, she was thrilled to land a job with a world-famous brand. However, the reality of burnout soon set in despite her hard work. Through extensive research and reflection, Sneha realized that simply “doing what you love” isn’t enough to avoid burnout. She developed a framework for achieving optimum results effortlessly, which transformed her career and eliminated her burnout.
Now, Sneha is on a mission to help teams make work feel effortless and achieve peak productivity and fulfillment.