Your team.

Danny Gutknecht

Chief Executive Officer

Danny Gutknecht

Most days you’ll find me listening to an eclectic mix of music while riding the trails around downtown Phoenix; I started my entrepreneurial life at the age of 10 to fund my love of music. That Nebraska kid realized that the songs he loved were about creating a better version of yourself. Thus began a quest for self-knowledge, self-awareness and individuation. Poring through my own research and performing deep dives into psychological literature, I grew to the conviction that personal development isn’t just for the arts, psychology, or spirituality. Great companies spring from people uniting to share meaning and pursue personal development. I’m excited to have built a company that helps people find their own meaning with work.

David Payne

Chief Customer Officer

David Payne

Texas native that loves Arizona, father of two teenage daughters that stress me out, and an 11 year old son that constantly makes me question my intelligence.

Trail runner, washed out tri-athlete, mentor, Maven, wannabe Evangelist, give me AZ sunshine over the A/C, trips to Mexico over San Diego, Jeeps with the top down, exceptional Añejos.

And being around people that are driven, curious and willing to push themselves in pursuit of being great at whatever it is they’ve chosen to do.

Shelly Spriggs

Chief Learning & Delivery Officer

Shelly Spriggs

Hi! I’m Shelly Spriggs, an Oklahoma girl who enjoys watching my kids play sports, my doggos, lake time, OU Football, running and losing myself in a good read. When you can’t find me doing those things, you better do a search and rescue!

After years of working in Corporate Human Resources, I dove head first into my personal and work meaning journey, landing me with a team of people who thrive on helping others align their personal and organizational purpose. I get excited about redefining learning internally and externally by bridging leaders and organizations together.

Ryan Stoll PhD

Chief Innovation Officer

Ryan Stoll PhD

Dr. Ryan Stoll is a lifelong designer, serial entrepreneur, clinically-trained psychologist, and translational scientist. Over the past 12 years, he has distinguished himself as a catalytic leader and pioneer in public health innovation, helping realize several technology-assisted and media-rich interventions with academic and business teams. Ryan oversees the creative and strategic direction for the company, guides our innovation priorities, and leads our design, strategy, and implementation activities, bringing his unique expertise to Humanity by Design’s clients, collaborators, and partners.

Before founding Humanity by Design in 2020, Ryan was a consulting dissemination and implementation scientist for academia and industry, lecturer in applied prevention science, and spent five years as the Director of Innovation and Commercialization at Arizona State University’s Courage Lab. While at the Courage Lab, Ryan co-created the first empirically-supported smartphone app for anxiety prevention, generated new models of public health intervention design and delivery, and co-invented COMPASS for Courage, a gamified toolkit to strengthen anxiety coping skills in youth. COMPASS, commercialized out of the lab in 2016, has helped thousands of youths cultivate greater anxiety resilience and is now available at no cost to the public through PBS LearningMedia.

Ryan’s work has culminated in numerous conference presentations, book chapters, and peer-reviewed publications centered on the next-generation of public health interventions, data-driven methods for program development, digital public health technologies, and entrepreneurial approaches to accelerating diffusion of academic innovation into public settings. Earlier in his career Ryan worked as a creative professional for small businesses and startups, in marketing leadership roles for nonprofits, and in supervisory roles in operations and information technology for UPS. Outside of Pathways, Ryan serves on leadership committees for university-based translational science initiatives and is a collaborator on several federally-funded research projects.

Katherine Skorny

Director of Marketing

Katherine Skorny

I’m a Washington girl who loves the sun and recently made the move to Arizona. In my free time I love traveling, cooking, reading a good book, learning about wine, and spending time with my cat, Walle.

My passion is marketing. I’m drawn to its unique blend of creativity, relationship-building, strategic thinking, and the potential to connect with those who need and want what you offer.

I truly value building and nurturing relationships, and I appreciate how marketing allows me to do this virtually. I’m grateful to have found something that brings joy and meaning to my life, and I hope my work at Pathways will help others find their own fulfillment.

Chaz Bennett

Business Development

Chaz Bennett

Chaz graduated with his Bachelors of Communication with a Minor in Technology. He has 10 years’ experience in Executive Search Recruitment, is the definition of a people person, well connected, and extremely likable. His personality and positive energy are contagious and it shows in the relationships he builds with coworkers, candidates, and clients. Chaz can open up many doors for candidates in the marketplace. 

Ikaika Luis

Search Director

Ikaika Luis

I’d like to say I have it all figured out.

But, the more I learn, the more I realize I have no idea what’s going on.

Jessica Martinez

(SHE/HER) Search Director

Jessica Martinez

I came to Arizona to study, and stayed to wear flip-flops at Christmas. I enjoy margaritas in nearly every flavor, traveling a bit too close to the sun, Imagine by John Lennon and my beautiful family. I joined Pathways to help people find jobs they love, and found tools that are applicable to more than just work.

Mandy Landrum

Search Director

Mandy Landrum

AZ native and girl-mom sporting an adrenaline junkie heart and a mars-mentality mindset. I have an insatiable hunger for nature, typically spending my free time hiking, climbing, camping, riding, or flying.

When I’m not living life on the edge, I can be found helping others to find their version of flow-state through their career. I’ve spent the past 13 years bringing great people together for greater purposes, and doing it in a humanized manner.

I believe you can harmonize the experience for the company and accomplish more for the customers, and the team, by bringing the power of meaning to the table.

Alexys Aguilar-Carr

Senior Researcher

Alexys Aguilar-Carr

Hi, I’m Alexys! I grew up in sunny, Arizona and have been here ever since. If I’m not working, I’m hanging out with my three corgis, (I may or may not be a crazy dog mom…) or enjoying a nice happy hour!

Working at Pathways allows me to connect with individuals that are wanting to do meaningful work.

Walker Houghton

Search Consultant

Walker Houghton

Hi I’m Walker. Originally from Austin, Texas. I am easily spotted in a crowded room. I love my dog Pepper and my cat Lazlo. Having trouble parallel parking? I’m your guy. I enjoy learning and take that into my everyday life and relationships.

Michelle Strickler

Marketing/Executive Assistant

Michelle Strickler

Hailing from the beautiful state of Minnesota, I bring a unique perspective shaped by my experiences in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Minnesota has instilled a deep appreciation for community and collaboration with a commitment to quality, creativity, and customer satisfaction.

I am a lifelong learner with a diverse range of interests and experiences and a natural inclination toward creativity, and an insatiable curiosity. I look for new and exciting ways to make an impact through authentic, compelling, and unforgettable experiences.

In my free time, whether I’m exploring new places, trying new foods, or pursuing the elusive hole-in-one, I am always looking for inspiration in my creative pursuits.

Terence Bennell

Media & Technology

Terence Bennell

I fell into the media by chance. Turned out quite well, though; BBC tv, private enterprise, then my own editing company in London.

‘Twas also chance that brought me to Arizona, via Paris, which led to the two biggest things in my life: Pathways and being a dad.

Growing quite fond of happenstance…