Co-Chair of the Board

Ayla Gavins is the Vice President of Development at Apprentice Learning, an organization that provides real-world work experiences for middle-grade youth, leveraging career exploration to teach skills, ignite purpose, and nurture dreams.

As an educational leader, an active spokesperson for democratic, inclusive and whole-child practices in schools and communities, she has a special interest in alternative schools and developing inclusive communities.

Ayla was introduced to Circus Up through partnership work between Mission Hill School and Commonwealth Circus School. After seeing the work the Circus Up staff did with students, experiencing elements of circus arts, and learning more about the vision of Circus Up, she was compelled to get more involved in the life of the organization.

Ayla lives in Dorchester with her husband, dog and cat. She loves reading, gardening, making art, Yoga, Crossfit  and general fitness activities.

Board Member

Euness Cirino is an educator based in the Boston area. She specializes in working with families and their communities well being. She’s had over 10 years in leadership, she currently works with an organization dedicated to strengthening community. Euness is known for her ability to build strong relationships and truly enjoys collaborating with others to create positive change. Euness’ ultimate goal is to continue to grow in her position, grow in her community as she continues to support and empower individuals and families, particularly those striving for improvement while fostering a sense of community, encouragement and belonging.

Founder, Executive Director, Co-Chair of the Board

Leah Abel is Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach of Circus Up, a Boston-based social circus organization. She holds a master’s degree in Social Work from Simmons College and is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). Leah additionally holds a master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy.

Leah performs and teaches with Clowns Without Borders, which has sent her to Haiti, Palestine, Myanmar, Lebanon, and Texas. She has worked as a hospital clown for many years, both with the Big Apple Circus and currently with Laughter League, bringing smiles to children and their families at Boston Children’s Hospital. Leah also stilts at various events and locations, including Fenway Park, and performs aerials all over New England at corporate, community, and college events both solo and with her doubles partner, Molly Baechtold - as Baechtold and Abel. Leah believes passionately in equity, access, and social justice for all, and in using the arts for social change. She is a strong supporter and practitioner of both the Liberation Health Model and restorative justice practice; all of these principles and practices are interwoven throughout the work of Circus Up. Leah loves to promote circus for social change, including using expressions of joy as a form of resistance.

Board Member

Dr. Samuel L. Bradley, Jr. is an assistant professor of Macro practice at the Boston College School of Social Work. His research focus is on innovation and equity within organizations. Dr. Bradley is an accomplished musician, community activist, and administrator with extensive experience in fundraising and communications. He is particularly passionate about utilizing design thinking as a strategy for developing innovation in higher education as well as leveraging higher education programs to support community outcomes in marginalized communities. Dr. Bradley is a fellow with the Social Work Health Futures Lab funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Board Member

Sarah Whitman Blank has extensive experience providing technical assistance (TA), change management support, and professional development in early childhood and special education at the national, state, and district levels. Her work addresses systems, policies, and implementation solutions for students and their families through cross-sector, integrated service delivery; policy guidance; program evaluation; and system building efforts and initiatives. Sarah has served as the Project Director for more than 40 early childhood and special education consulting projects and has served as a national TA provider and subject matter expert for multiple federally-funded centers. Sarah currently serves as a Principal Consultant at Wood's Edge, an Advisor to Harvard's Strategic Data Project, and a Senior Technical Assistance Specialist at AnLar. Sarah previously worked for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education where she was responsible for supporting statewide strategic planning and implementing statewide training, TA, and guidance activities, including providing direct support and planning services to over 400 districts. She holds an Ed.D. in education from Johns Hopkins University, a Ed.M. in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an M.A. in Religion and Society from Boston University, and a B.A. from Boston University.

When Sarah is not contemplating the big picture or how to save the world, she spends a lot of her time hanging from the ceiling at Commonwealth Circus Center where she learned about and fell in love with the mission and vision of Circus Up. Specializing in aerial silks, she decided her 30s were the perfect time to pick up a challenging hobby that can truly humble her and oftentimes makes her feel ridiculous as she gets stuck mid-air. She also enjoys gardening, cooking overly elaborate meals, early morning workouts, and traveling with her husband Aldert and son Austin.

Board Member

Sheri Gurock is a facilitator and executive coach with over 18 years of experience in management, business development, brand development and change work. She started out as an entrepreneur founding Magic Beans with her husband in 2004 and helping grow it from a small startup to an award-winning toy and baby gear regional chain and website. She also enjoys working with nonprofit organizations and completed a fellowship in Nonprofit Board Leadership through OnBoard in 2015. She is currently the president of the board of Mayyim Hayyim in Newton, MA and a volunteer executive coach for the Social Innovation Forum.

Sheri graduated Magna cum Laude with Honors from Brandeis University, where her studies included music, theatre, journalism, education and Yiddish. In 2016, she completed a certificate in Gathering Design and Facilitation at Georgetown University, and she earned a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching at William James College in April 2017. She is a certified facilitator in the LEGO® Serious Play method and TypeCoach.

Sheri lives in Brookline, MA with her husband, three children, three cats, a dog and ten chickens. She enjoys cooking, singing, and studying circus arts, which is way outside her comfort zone — but that’s exactly why she does it. She’s very excited to bring together her love of circus and social change as a board member of Circus Up.

Board Member

Sophia Hersu graduated from Colorado College in 2011 with degrees in drama and sociology. Following her graduation, she received a Watson Fellowship, which awarded her $25,000 to travel the world studying the ways different communities utilize circus pedagogy in order to work for social justice. She then went to professional aerial dance school in Boulder, Colorado, where she focused on aerial rope and choreography. Prior to moving to Boston in 2014, she performed and taught aerial dance with Iluminar Aerial and Frequent Flyers Productions in Colorado.

Sophia is now a co-founder and co-manager of the Commonwealth Circus Center in Jamaica Plain. She also teaches with Esh Circus Arts in Somerville, MA, and is the co-artistic director of Boston-based physical theater and circus company Spoke Movement Ensemble. In 2015 Sophia received a JUMP Choreography Mentorship with The New Movement Collaborative and a grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts for developing choreographers. Sophia graduated in 2015 from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with an Ed.M. in Arts in Education and is excited to be joining the Circus Up team!

Waetie-Sanaa Burnette is a dancer, former college basketball player, and mom to two amazing kids. Her work in early childhood, maternal health, recruitment, and education advocacy has led her to work with families of all backgrounds in collaboration with State, Federal, and private contracts. As someone who spent her formative years playing competitive sports and in the performing arts, she joined the Circus Up Board to ensure that more people understand what a deep impact athletic arts can have on a child’s development and life trajectory. Outside of her work and volunteer efforts, Waetie-Sanaa is most passionate about experimenting in the kitchen with different foods and approaches from around the world and learning about the connection between food, sleep, energy, healing, and performance. She holds a B.A from Wellesley College where she was named a Mellon Mays fellow,  and graduated with honors from Andover Newton School of Theology with a Masters in Theological Studies in Women's Health and Spiritual Practice.