Our Team

Behind every service we offer is a team of people who care deeply about the youth and families we serve. Get to know the people who make Pyxis possible.

Meet the Founder

Mike Kriwiel | CEO

Mike founded Pyxis in 1994 after seeing firsthand the need for services that truly support at-risk youth and their families. His original vision was simple but powerful: surround young people with positive role models and give them real opportunities — including paid work — to feel connected and valued in their community.

Mike brings a background in education, with an emphasis in Special Education, along with years of experience coaching multiple sports — both of which shaped his belief in the power of mentorship and encouragement. His passion for helping youth find their place in the world shows up in everything Pyxis does.

What keeps Mike inspired after all these years is simple: watching the Pyxis way of compassion and responsibility change lives — for the clients and staff who live it out every day.

Adam Kriwiel

Adam started working at Pyxis in 2015 as a Community Support Worker (CSW). He enjoyed that for 3 years before leaving to teach 4th grade for 4 years. In 2022, he returned to Pyxis as the Director of Finance where he was promoted to Chief Operations Officer shortly after. He graduated with a degree in Elementary Education where he minored in Psychology. He learned so much through his years working as a CSW that allowed him to work with many of the “tougher” and higher needs students while teaching. He loves the work he does now because he is passionate about helping people find their path in this world and he recognizes that the work done at Pyxis makes an exponential impact on the youth in the program and community.

Chief Operations Officer

Adan Grimaldo

Adan is a valued member of the team and has been working for Pyxis since 2019. With 18 years of experience working with kids/at-risk youth, Adan shares a passion and commitment to healing the community. He loves working with youth, building relationships with them, being someone they can trust, learning who they are and watching them discover who they are meant to be. As the Safe Crisis Management Instructor, he equips the staff with the tools they need to be successful in this field and make a difference in the lives of the youth they work with. Adan loves the culture that has been created at Pyxis that makes him feel valued, connected, and motivated to grow.

Chief Experience Officer

Rhylee has been a part of the team at Pyxis since 2022. Her education background includes science with a focus on sociology and she has years of experience working as a para for elementary kids with special needs. What she enjoys most about Pyxis is that they are the ones that say yes, even to the most intensive kids, younger kids, older teens, those with special needs; they say yes to all the youth who have been turned away from their community. She loves being a part of an organization that truly seeks to help the most vulnerable population find their path in the world.

Program Administrator

Rhylee Morgan

Associate Program Manager

Tim Smith

Finance Administrator

Lauren Hentzen

Operations Administrator

Lauren Joyce

At Pyxis, our team lives our CULTURE every day — showing up with heart, consistency, and genuine care for every youth and family we serve.

Join Our Team