Board Members (& Their Glasses)

Executive Director & “Flounder”: Kristy Beauvais

Kristy Beauvais, Founder of FOCUSfish, leads all creative and instructional aspects of program development. She has created the FOCUSfish philosophy and techniques over the course of her lifetime.  Learn more...

President: Jaya Ely

Jaya Ely has been working with children for as long as she can remember, she began as a babysitter around age ten and has since worked as a nanny, a daycare teacher, a baseball coach and as a mentor for finding racial identity in a support group she co-founded called R.A.I.S.E (Racial Awareness in a Supportive Environment). For the last ten years she has built her career around children's musical theater programming. She has worked as a director, choreographer, producer and playwright in the Los Angeles area. Jaya is focused on bringing great programming into diverse communities and is thrilled to be partnering with Focusfish.

VP: S. Miria Jo

S. Miria Jo is a UX/UI designer, web designer, and screenwriter/technical consultant. A graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Miria has been a visual artist, stage manager, costume designer, and performer, including being a writer and actor for a sketch comedy troupe. Miria has been involved with children's theater and regional theater programs since she was a child in New England, including Andy's Summer Playhouse, the American Stage Festival, MIT Community Players, and MassArt Eventworks. Miria is also a singer/songwriter and co-produced the first Los Angeles Women's Music Festival in 2007. She lives with her wife and daughter in Topanga, where she volunteers with the Visual and Performing Arts committee at Topanga Elementary Charter School. Miria has been an enthusiastic supporter of Focusfish aerial arts and theater programs since 2016. 

Secretary: Katie Driscoll

Katie Driscoll, like her personal hero Ella Baker, is dedicated to supporting the growth and development of young people. Katie first became a mentor to children at the the age of 14, when she coached a Boston-based softball team while still in high school. After graduating from Bates College in 2000, Katie began working at an after school program and tutoring while founding a non-profit arts organization called To Be Heard, Inc. Inspired by her father's legacy as a lifelong public school educator, Katie decided to follow in his footsteps and returned to school in 2003 to become a teacher. After graduating from Simmons College with a Master in the Art of Teaching and a Master in Gender and Cultural Studies, she taught 8th grade social studies in Needham, MA. She was an integral part of the Pollard Middle School community for 8 years. During her tenure there, Katie was granted a sabbatical leave of absence to teach abroad in Phuket, Thailand. Led by her adventurous spirit, Katie moved to Los Angeles to work for Topanga Mountain School. Katie had never even visited Los Angeles before moving here! Since August 2012, Katie has been teaching and acting as the Head of Curriculum Development at TMS. As a queer educator, Katie hopes to help kids feel comfortable being themselves and taking up the space they deserve in this world. She loves to be outside, mountain biking, and making and listening to music of all kinds. "I didn't break the rules, but I challenged the rules". -Ella Baker

Treasurer:   Faye Berriman, CPA
Members at Large: Sheneza Mohammed, Jill Williams

Advisory Council
Dr. Stephanie Mihalas, Ph.D., NCSP
​Susannah Wolk, Social Justice Board, Excelsior College
Eric Ekholm, CTRS
​Wini McKay, LA Circus

FOCUSfish is in the process of growing "the family" of board members.  If you are interested in our mission, please contact Kristy at [email protected].