about us
We are ideas people, critical thinkers, and doers with decades of experience as applied researchers, evaluators, educators, and leaders.
Meet Our Consultants
-
CO-FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
Rob is an applied researcher, evaluator, and experiential educator with 15+ years of professional experience in the human service, higher education, and youth development fields. He conducts research and evaluation studies that inform the development of evidence-based practices and decision-making for local, national, and international organizations. Rob is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Health Innovation and Dissemination Center at the University of Utah, where he serves as a quantitative methodologist and statistical consultant. He earned a Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism from the University of Utah, a M.S. in Recreation Studies from Ohio University, and a B.S. in Outdoor Education from Northland College.
-
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Annie is an applied researcher, evaluator, and public health scientist with 5 years of clinical nursing experience and almost 5 years of research and program evaluation experience focused on youth and family health. She conducts research and evaluations pragmatically to promote a holistic impact on well-being and contribute to evidence-based practice and policy decisions. She uses quantitative and qualitative methods, such as community-engaged survey and focus group methodology. Additionally, Annie has specialized training in data visualization and clustering statistical techniques (e.g., latent class analysis). Her most recent study examined social media’s impact on youth diet and what parent involvement looked like. She earned a Ph.D in Nursing from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Nursing from Bethel University.
-
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Susan is a researcher, evaluator, and developmental scientist with almost 10 years of academic research experience. She conducts research aimed at understanding how early experiences influence health and behavior across the lifespan, with the goal of improving youth well-being. She also has extensive quantitative training in a variety of statistical methods (e.g., SEM, MLM, longitudinal data analysis). She earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Utah and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Arizona.
-
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Wynn is an experienced researcher, data analyst, and program evaluator with 20+ years in education. As a Research Consultant at the Utah State Board of Education, he analyzes education data to inform stakeholders, including local education agencies, program providers, board members, community members, and policy makers. Examples of his evaluation and research experience include a capacity-building evaluation of school-based community learning centers, developing a program quality framework for the Utah Afterschool Network, outdoor leadership research, and leading multi-year evaluations of informal education programs. Wynn holds a Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism from the University of Utah, an M.A. in College Student Development from Appalachian State University, and a B.S. in Outdoor Recreation from Montreat College.
-
CONSULTANT
Jessie is an evaluation and human experience consultant with 15+ years of experience in outdoor education, youth development, and change management. She specializes in helping organizations enhance their effectiveness through comprehensive program evaluations, strategic planning, and meaningful improvements. Jessie works closely with clients, coaching them through developing and testing improvement systems within organizations and programs. She earned a Change Management certificate from Cornell, an M.S. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism from the University of Utah, and a B.S. in Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Management from Southern Illinois University.
-
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Kelley Freridge is a strategic marketing and communications executive with 20+ years of experience leading brand development, consumer engagement, and storytelling initiatives across corporate and nonprofit sectors. She has held leadership roles at Patagonia, Chaco, and the American Camp Association, where she spearheaded partnerships and campaigns that expanded market reach, increased brand awareness, deepened audience engagement, and secured transformational funding. Kelley specializes in brand strategy, public relations, communications, and consumer insights, leveraging narrative-driven marketing to foster connection and drive measurable impact. A publicly elected trustee on the Rockford Public Schools Board of Education since 2020 and re-elected in 2024, Kelley applies her expertise in communications, policy, and strategic leadership to advance educational initiatives that foster belonging and create healthy learning environments. Her work is rooted in the power of storytelling to build culture, strengthen communities, and cultivate ecosystems of learning that inspire curiosity, collaboration, and growth.
-
SENIOR CONSULTANT
David holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics and Science Education. Owens has a strong background in science and education with a B.S. in Biology, a M.S. in Aquatic Ecology, and experience as a certified science teacher with Memphis City Schools and as an instructor of outdoor education and character development with Outward Bound. His research interests include better understanding the characteristics of learning environments that make science relevant, foster conceptual change, and enhance learners’ motivation to understand science and reason about socioscientific issues as a means for developing functional scientific literacy.
-
CONSULTANT
Amanda is an applied researcher, evaluator, and youth development expert with 20+ years of professional experience and volunteer service within youth-serving non-profit and community organizations. She designs mixed-methods research studies focused on effective strategies for aligning an organization's stated mission with their day-to-day practices. Amanda has tailored on-site research projects for organizations with varying missions and program structures, emphasizing evaluation of observable program quality elements and participant experiences. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Linfield University, an M.S. in Recreation Management from the University of Idaho and will complete her Ph.D. in Education in May 2025.
-
CO-FOUNDER & SENIOR CONSULTANT
Bristol is an educational and youth programs expert with 25+ years of professional experience and charitable service in corporate, non-profit, and community organizations across the US. She brings a multi-faceted approach to projects, assisting clients in applying policy to practice, research to relationships, and observations to operations. She holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Occidental College, an Ed.M. in Education Policy & Management from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and K-12 Teaching Credentials from California.
-
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Bryn Spielvogel is an applied researcher and evaluator with 10+ years of professional experience. Drawing on a versatile methodological repertoire (e.g., longitudinal data analysis, quasi-experimental analytic techniques, community-engaged research and evaluation, assembly of multi-source spatial datasets), Bryn’s work considers how contextual factors shape human development and wellbeing. She has led complex projects, from large-scale quantitative policy studies to youth-led participatory action research. Bryn is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Utah, where she examines how leisure settings can be leveraged to support development and wellbeing. She earned a Ph.D. in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology from Boston College and a B.A. in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University.
-
CONSULTANT
Shannielle is a researcher and study coordinator. She has 10+ years of comprehensive experience working with youth in inpatient and residential settings. She designed a mixed-method research study examining the relationship between connectedness and flourishing in adolescents of low socioeconomic status for her honors thesis which met the requirements for both of her Honors B.S. degrees in Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Utah. Her present focus is on adolescent health and well-being and program evaluation.
-
CO-FOUNDER & SENIOR CONSULTANT
Taylor is an applied researcher, evaluator, and educator with 20+ years of professional experience in non-profit community arts, higher education, and youth development fields. She conducts research and evaluation studies that aim to contribute to immediate and strategic value for local, national, and international organizations. She earned a M.S. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism from the University of Utah and a B.A. in Theatre Arts and International Relations from the University of San Diego. Taylor is currently a doctoral student in Education at the University of California-Irvine where she is specializing in human development.
-
CONSULTANT
Kiah is a researcher and evaluator with professional expertise in education policy, educational leadership, and youth development programming. Kiah uses rigorous qualitative methodology to conduct research and program evaluations that inform policy and influence systemic change in outdoor experiential education and summer enrichment programming. Her work has guided structural and systemic change at the organizational, state, and federal levels. Her primary areas of focus include summer camp, leadership, and gender equity. Kiah is in the final stages of completing her PhD in Educational Policy and Leadership from the University of Connecticut, and holds an MA in educational psychology as well as a BS in education from UConn’s Neag School of Education.
-
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Paul is an experiential educator and researcher. His current focus is on improving how organizations design and implement facilitated activities for teenagers. Paul is currently completing his last year at Northland college getting a B.S. of Outdoor Education where he will be mentoring undergraduate students in their field studies.
-
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Mike is an applied researcher, evaluator, and experiential educator with 15+ years of professional experience in the out-of-school time, youth development, and outdoor and environmental education fields. He conducts research and evaluation studies that inform the development of evidence-based practices and decision-making for local, national, and international organizations. He is also currently an Assistant Professor at Salem State University in Massachusetts. He earned a Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism from the University of Utah, a M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Education from University of Idaho, and B.S. degrees in Adventure Education Leadership and Adventure Therapy from Unity College.
-
CONSULTANT
Kevin is an applied researcher, evaluator, and special operations military veteran with 15+ years of comprehensive experience in the United States Army, Department of Defense consulting, and higher education. He conducts research and evaluation studies that focus on innovative, experiential outdoor programming that aim to better foster positive youth development and wellbeing among youth and veterans, respectively. He holds a B.S. and M.A. in Psychology, and is currently a doctoral student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism from the University of Utah, where he is specializing in quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods for outdoor youth programs.