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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

AYCO/ACE is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit with a volunteer board of directors.

Updated December 9th, 2020

Jen Agans Ph. D. Chair

Jen Agans, Ph.D., is a research scientist at Cornell University, where she works to build synergy between youth development research and practice. She grew up in youth circus, training with Jackie and Rick Davis beginning in middle school, touring with Circus Smirkus in 2004, and coaching at the Silver Lining Circus Camp from 2005 to 2009 before serving as camp director from 2010 to 2014. Jen has been a member of AYCO since 2001, only missed one AYCO festival (2007), and has been bringing her research and evaluation perspective to AYCO/ACE conferences since 2010.

Dan Roberts Treasurer

Dan Roberts brings a diverse background in social circus, arts education, youth advocacy and non-profit leadership to the AYCO/ACE board.  He began his career in social circus in Chicago, serving as the associate director of CircEsteem from 2004-2007.  He spent time with Circus Smirkus as an artist-in-residence and summer camp instructor for two seasons.  In 2008, Dan moved to Jakarta, Indonesia where he, together with his wife and best friend, founded the Red Nose Foundation, an Indonesian organization that champions the rights of children in education and child protection through after-school arts, athletics, and educational programming.  He served as the organization’s Executive Director for eight years.  After transitioning out of Red Nose (where he now sits on the board) in 2016, Dan returned to Chicago to lead CircEsteem as its Executive Director.  Dan is the very proud father of two amazing clowns (children).  He holds a BFA in Acting from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts and is also a founding member (and current Treasurer) of the Asian Social Circus Association, an association that connects social circuses from Kabul to Canberra.

Carlo Pelligrini Seretary

Carlo’s circus career spans 40 years as ringmaster, clown, producer, director and choreographer. In 2002 he co-founded Amazing Grace CIRCUS! as a social/community circus for teens. Today, “Mr. Amazing” and his Teen Troupe teach over 3,000 children a year how to Soar to Success through Circus Arts. He is Creative Director for Westchester Circus Arts Center in Tarrytown, NY, and a keynote speaker for corporate meetings with his innovative program The Juggling MATRIX.

Anne Boock Miller, Ph.D.

Anne Boock Miller, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist and the founder/artistic director of Suspend, a circus arts studio in Louisville, KY. She has particular interests in neurodevelopmentally appropriate and adaptive circus education, and the use of circus and aerial dance as a tool for therapeutic and cultural change.

Lyra Gray

Lyra Gray is the owner and director of Aerotique, a circus school in Columbus, Ohio. She has a master’s degree in special education and spent many years as a special education teacher in the public school systems. She has over 20 years of experience in teaching, leading and creating youth programming in a variety of sports and disciplines and is an advocate for empowering youth populations through movement-based programming. Her teaching experience bridges a variety of aerial, circus, and other sports and encompasses levels from youth beginner to competitive and adult learning. Lyra is passionate about making Circus Arts accessible to everyone and loves to teach new students and introduce her community to the wonderful world of circus.

Kristina Wicke

Kristina Wicke has spent her entire adult career supporting creativity and play in some form or fashion.   Early on, she was introduced to a rag-tag bunch of juggler/vaudevillians called The Flying Karamazov Brothers; and she toured the world with them as their Production Manager collecting great stories, crazy experiences, life-long friends and a multitude of bad puns! In 2011, she was part of the producing team that brought the Tony Award nominated musical, A Christmas Story, to Broadway, further solidifying her belief that collaboration, celebration, and trust are vital to success.

Kristina brings a host of non-profit leadership skills to the board of AYCO/ACE through her more than 20 years working in the Seattle theatre community, and service as Executive Director of SANCA.  She is delighted to combine her passion for youth development, physical literacy, performance, play, and equity to an institution devoted to all of those things!

Jens Larson

Upon graduating from college where he competed as a gymnast, Jens fell in love with the circus and spent 19 years as a performing artist. His specialties were aerial roman rings, comedy chairbalancing, and rola bola. He performed on four different continents in shows that ranged from small (the five-person Royal Lichtenstein Circus) to huge (multiple-ring Shrine circuses in the US and Canada) and ran the stylistic spectrum from traditional (Vidbel Family Circus and others) to contemporary (San Francisco’s Pickle Family Circus). Jens then changed course and taught math for 14 years in public high schools in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2015 Jens combined his previous two careers and became a circus educator by starting Phoenix Youth Circus Arts, a social circus program that produces after-school circus clubs, summer camps and special events throughout the city.

Board Member in Memoriam: Rick Davis

A founding member of AYCO, Rick’s 30 year career took him to Ringling Brothers Circus, Broadway, DisneyWorld, The White House, and on tours of 15 countries. He was the author of 3 books, and conducted circus school residencies for Circus Smirkus. He was also the founder of SchoolShows.com, the largest directory of school assembly performers.

Founder’s Statement: Kevin O’Keefe

“AYCO started out as a small dream in my heart. I knew what I did as the director of Circus Minimus and CircusYoga worked in my communities, but longed for connections to others and to see the national landscape of circus. An initial query branched out to those I knew, and we became a small community of teachers and artists for a few years. The first festival in 1999 was designed by my wife Erin Maile O’Keefe. We floated it on our credit card at Sailor Circus in Sarasota FL. Our organization placed itself firmly on the cultural map with our 2nd festival at Circus Juventas in Minnesota. Since then we have grown by leaps and bounds by finding strength in diversity and community. Even our dreams are not our own in the circus. We must share everything.”