The AYCO Board of Directors

David Hunt, President
David Hunt has been involved with circus arts for the past 11 years, though he started juggling 20+ years ago.  He has worked with several small productions between New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco including Circus Von Amberg, San Francisco Circus Center's Pickle Circus, Velocity Circus, and Zoppe Family Circus.  His involvement and commitment to youth circus began with his involvement as the co-founder of the New Orleans School of Circus Arts (2000).  He has coached youth throughout the Bay Area in a number of settings including the SF Circus Center.  He is currently a resident artist at two schools with the Prescott Circus Theatre, serves on the Advisory Committee for Prescott and continues to train and perform slack wire.  He has served AYCO as a member of the Board since 2005.

Kevin George, Treasurer
A longtime fan of circus arts, Kevin got his introduction to AYCO through planning for the 2005 National Festival in San Francisco. In addition to helping with the Marketing and Logistics of the Festival, Kevin also played a significant role in the placement of the infamous circus arrows throughout the city to help AYCO attendees navigate from their hotel to the Circus Center.  It was his fiscal know-how in procuring free ice cream for the after-Festival celebration that made him a shoe-in to the Board.  While a professional marketer by day, Kevin also leads the Advisory Committee of Oakland's Prescott Circus Theatre.  Kevin holds an undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Texas and and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Rick Davis,  Membership Director, Webmaster
A founding member of AYCO, Rick's 30 year career has taken him to Ringling Brothers Circus, Broadway, DisneyWorld, The White House, and tours of 15 countries. He is the author of 3 books, and currently conducts circus school residencies for Circus Smirkus. He is also the founder and director of SchoolShows.com, the largest directory of school assembly performers.

John Whitfield, AYCO Store Director
Longtime juggling teacher and Founder of California Juggling and Circus Arts.

Donna Wood-Babcock
Donna Wood-Babcock owns and operates the Circus Arts Workshop in Los Angeles, California.   She has been the director of the Hope Street Youth Circus for 13 years.  Donna has made her living as a clown and circus arts instructor since graduating from Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey’s Clown College in 1981.  She studied clowning at the Antic Arts program at the State University of New York at Purchase and has continued to study her craft through numerous coaches and workshops.   Donna is also a graduate of Pacific Oaks University where she earned a Bachelor degree in Human Development and a specialization in Arts Education.

Donna is the former Executive Director of the Jumbo Shrimp Circus Academy.  Her experience as a Circus Arts teacher includes working as a trainer for Cirque du Monde, Cirque du Soleil’s social outreach program, developing the position of Director of Education for the Los Angeles Foundation of the Circus Arts, creating the Circus Arts program for City Hearts, Kids Say Yes to the Arts, working as a Director of Clown College at Ocean Park, Hong Kong, and teaching thousands of students and directing dozens of youth circuses at schools and community centers throughout Los Angeles. 

Geralyn Berkery, Festival Director

Jesse Alford
Jesse grew up with the Great All American Youth Circus in Redlands
California, and is a student at Washington State University, where he
started Cirque du Coug, a Student Organization dedicated to the teaching,
learning and performing of the Circus Arts. He is taking a semester off of
school to work with Circus Bella and AYCO to learn what it takes to make it
in the circus world.

 
Kevin O'Keefe, Founder and former President
Kevin founded AYCO because he is committed to circus as a means for creating community. AYCO such as it is would not exist were it not for the steady leadership, guidance and integrity of his wife and partner Erin Maile. Kevin O'Keefe is the artistic director and founder of Circus Minimus. Since 1985 the programs of Circus Minimus have touched the lives of 100,000 students and their families. Programs include The Circus Kids Create, Circus Minimus Afterschool Programs, and CM Integrated Curriculums like Circus Around the Globe. For twenty years in every imaginable location Kevin has toured the world with The One-Man Circus in-a-Suitcase. In collaboration with Erin Maile, Kevin invented CircusYoga for Kids and Families TM. In 2001 the IJA awarded Kevin O'Keefe, for an Educational Excellence Award for his work with Circus Minimus and AYCO. If there is a life after this one he would prefer to return as Peggy Ford's pet bearded dragon.