Pathway Associates - Utah and Rocky Mountain Region Nonprofit Capacity Building

Our leading nonprofit professionals.

Phyllis Hockett
Principal

Phyllis Hockett, who recieved her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Utah, is a cofounder of Pathway Associates specializing in strategic planning, board development, fundraising, and capital campaign planning and implementation. Currently serving as chair of the Utah Nonprofits Association Board of Directors, Hockett has almost thirty years of experience in local and national fundraising for a wide variety of community organizations, including museums, arts organizations, and social services and educational institutions.

She also has a wide breadth of public relations experience acquired over more than a decade, including national campaigns in Kenya and India. Hockett views her work with nonprofits as a means of supporting positive change in communities by providing organizations with distinctive, sophisticated tools to ensure institutional sustainability. Hockett is an active volunteer in the Salt Lake City community, serving on the boards of the Academy for Nonprofit Excellence and the University of Utah Continuing Education Commission, among other prominent boards.

Dave Jones
Principal

Dave Jones is a co-founder of Pathway Associates and has over 20 years of fundraising experience and over 30 capital and major gift campaigns to his credit. Dave not only brings a wealth of experience to Pathway clients, but also a heartfelt dedication to fostering their causes. He has served on numerous boards and commissions, and for twelve years served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives. Dave has a deep understanding of both the philanthropic and government resources available in the community and is a master at forging public/private partnerships.

Dave holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Utah and has long been active in leadership capacities with numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Utah Nonprofits Association, the Utah State Office of Museum Services, and the Utah Society of Fundraisers.

Mary Tull
Membership Programs

Mary Tull joined Pathway Associates team in 2009 bringing decades of experience in non-profit leadership, program development, and community building. In Oregon, California, and Utah she has applied her expertise to the start up, development, and community building of a variety of non-profit organizations. Her leadership in the establishment of innovative educational programs, technology, and publishing initiatives includes work with arts organizations, schools, tech companies, and national publishers. In Utah, her commitment to education and non-profit capacity building included serving six years as the Executive Director of The Leonardo, the Director of Visions

for Learning, and the Director of the Utah Arts 2002 program during the Winter Olympic Games. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Salt Lake Arts Academy and the College of Humanities Partnership Board at the University of Utah.

Mary’s holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in education, a three-year graduate certificate program in Dance, Educational Technology coursework at M.I.T., and a Gulbankian Fellowship graduate certificate from the University of Lisbon.

Jayceen Craven Walker
Government Relations and Advocacy

Jayceen assists clients of Pathway Associates to create and implement comprehensive government relations strategies that address both immediate needs and long term goals. She has worked with Utah nonprofit groups and government organizations for over 19 years. Jayceen expertly navigates the complexities of State and Federal government, including rural regulatory agencies, county councils, State legislature and Federal Representation. She also has extensive experience in planning and executing educational program development and outreach, while securing community-wide support for these programs. Jayceen received an associate's degree from the

College of Eastern Utah, which recently named her a distinguished alumnus, and a bachelor's degree from Southern Utah University. She is also an accomplished actress, having worked with the Utah Shakespeare Festival and the Great American Melodrama in California. She has often performed with the Salt Lake Acting Company, The Grand Theatre, Park City Performance, and Plan B Theatre, as well as in commercials, television, films and voice over work. Jayceen currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Utah Museum Association, the Utah Cultural Alliance and the Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theater in Park City.

C. Frances Gillmor

Franci Gillmor joined Pathway Associates in 2010 after 30 years of professional success working with Utah non-profits. A longtime advocate for the human service and public service sectors, Franci served as Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area for over fifteen years. Her legacy there included leading that charity from inadequate funding to a charity that today has one of the most involved and committed volunteer boards in the state, with assets and reserves in excess of $7 million. Prior to her RMHC post, she held senior level development positions with the University of Utah, the University of Utah Medical Center, and Ballet West. She is one of the most respected non-profit development leaders in Utah, and has forged expertise in organizational planned giving, implementation of endowment funds, donor stewardship, and board development.

Franci has presented at numerous conferences on such topics as fundraising, corporate/charitable partnerships, board development, and capital campaigns.

As an active force in the community, Franci has served in key roles on dozens of committees and boards. She has garnered a number of prestigious awards, including the Rotary Club 24 High Honors Community Service Award, the Assistance League Consociates Woman of Distinction Award, and the USFR Outstanding Professional Fund-Raising Award. She also is the recipient of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management Executive Training Certificate. Franci is dedicated to civic advancement, and through her service, has been instrumental in establishing initiatives that have had a positive and enduring impact on both the non-profits she has served and the greater Intermountain community.

Valerie Kittel
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Training

Valerie Kittel, who received her BFA in Theatre and MFA in Arts Administration from the University of Utah, joins Pathway Associates as a theatre trained communicator and public speaking coach. Drawing from her 35+ years of professional experience in theatre she combines theatre techniques, psychology and the latest communication research to help professionals ﬁne-tune their delivery skills and develop a conﬁdent speaking presence.

For the last four years she has successfully trained nonproﬁt professionals in change leader presence and in developing the kind of outstanding delivery skills that increase an organizationʼs visibility and generate more funding partnerships.

“For me, speaker coaching is an exciting collaboration with people who not only accept the spotlight of public speaking but want to go even farther and experience the art of communicating."