OUR TEAM
Dr. Leah Hanes, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Elizabeth Guillen
Director of Accounts
Elliott Hanes
Director of Griffin Ed
Michael Lusk
Director of Curriculum and Innovation
Kellye Ross
Director of Development
Ani Baker
Director of Programs and Engagement
Ashwan Kadam
STEAM Programming Technician
Kate Le
Program Manager
Renee Cobb
Mya Stark
Director of Community Learning
Board Of Directors
Brent Bushnell is the Chairman of our Board and also the Chairman and Co-Founder of Two Bit Circus, a Los Angeles-based experiential entertainment company. The interdisciplinary team strives to create immersive, social fun and is building a network of micro-amusement parks featuring free-roam VR, social games, an interactive supper club and more. Awards include Clio, Cannes Lions, and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Game Company. Past projects include huge viral stunts and activations for brands like the NFL, NBA, and the Olympics. The company regularly serves as immersive entertainment partners for brands and location-based facilities. Previously, Brent was the on-camera inventor for the ABC show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. He was a founding member of the creative collective that created stunts for brands like Google and Disney and helped OK Go build the Rube Goldberg machine for their viral This Too Shall Pass music video that garnered 50+ million views on YouTube. He is a Sir Edmund Hillary Fellow and enjoys mentoring in entrepreneurship. He’s a supporter of Clowns Without Borders and publishes on Twitter @brentbushnell.
Malik Ducard, President
BIO
Malik Ducard joined Pinterest as the Chief Content Officer in December 2021. Malik is responsible for setting the global content strategy for the company.
Previously, he was Vice President of Content Partnerships at YouTube, where he led development for some of the platform’s key responsibility and public interest partnership efforts including learning, social impact, kids and family, health, human rights, and racial justice.
Malik currently serves as Board President of Two Bit Circus Foundation and is also a board member of Game Changer.
He holds a BA from Columbia and an MBA from UCLA. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three sons and is the author of “Henry’s Big Win.”
Dave Zobel, Vice President
BIO
Dave Zobel is a Cal Tech alumni and a science writer. He describes himself as:
“Half-bithead, half-executive, half-writer, half-wit: Possessing that rare ability to get down in the trenches with the researchers and the coders (being one myself), defend them to upper management and clients, and explain what they do to the outside world.”
Zobel was the developer of the first Science Kits that changed the focus of T4T materials from use in Art alone to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) education.
He joined the Board in 2011 and is currently the Coordinator of External Events for T4T.
Dr. Dijanna Figueroa, Ph.D., Board Member
BIO
Dr. Dijanna Figueroa, Ph.D. was featured in James Cameron’s Aliens of the Deep and is a champion of STEAM education. She teaches, speaks, and runs the Lucas Scholars STEM program, which focuses on social justice and equity in science.
Email: dijanna@twobitcircus.org
Sebastien Slek, Treasurer
Tara Tiger Brown, Founder: LA Makerspace
BIO
Tara is a forest therapy researcher, educator, and founder of KitHub and LA Makerspace. She’s worked with over 70 LA Public Library branches and developed STEAM programs for kids.
She writes the newsletter More Trees Please and speaks on science, tech, DIY, and environmental learning.
Nirvan Mullick, Founder: Imagination
BIO
Nirvan is an LA-based filmmaker and founder of Imagination.org. He created the viral short film Caine’s Arcade, and launched one of the first crowdfunded films, The 1 Second Film.
He is a creative consultant, partner at Interconnected, and serves on the board of CicLAvia.
Dr. Marcella Klein Williams, Board Member
BIO
Dr. Marcella Klein Williams has hopscotched across the entire system of public education — from preschool to university — in a multitude of roles spanning teacher, director, president, and chief. Her career has focused on STEAM teaching and learning.
She has been called a thought leader, innovator, mentor, facilitator, and systems thinker.
She always answers if called teacher.
Francisco Arechiga, Board Member
BIO
Francisco Arechiga is a design educator, creative strategist, and advocate for social impact design. He is currently a faculty member at Otis College of Art and Design, where he teaches courses in product design and sustainability. Francisco brings a background in industrial design and a passion for using creativity as a tool for community empowerment.
Liz Heller, Board Member
BIO
Liz Heller is a digital media innovator and producer known for driving tech, music, and culture forward. Formerly the Executive Vice President at Capitol Records, she has worked with major organizations like TOMS, RED, and Microsoft. She is currently Managing Partner at memBrain and is a frequent keynote speaker.
Tim Griffin, Founder: Griffin Ed
BIO
Tim Griffin is a retired STEM teacher and founder of GriffinEd, which teaches through music. He now volunteers with Two Bit Circus and writes songs about science and social justice.
Scott Curran, Board Member
BIO
Scott founded Beyond Advisers and previously served as General Counsel for the Clinton Foundation, where he led global legal support for over 2,000 staff and volunteers in 36 countries.
He has advised nonprofits, startups, and global organizations across law, program design, and social impact. Scott teaches, consults, and helps law firms launch social impact practice groups.
He lives with his wife, kids, and rescue dogs — including Miss Tommie, who is blind, deaf, and awesome.
Joe Zenas, Board Member
BIO
Joe Zenas is known for his leadership at Thinkwell, where he has worked with global brands and museums. He advocates for expanding client vision through strategic IP development and immersive experience design.
Junior Advisory Board
Evelyn Calderon
Evelyn started volunteering back in 2015 when we were still T4T. In 2016 she accepted the task of recruiting our first ever Junior Board from several schools in the area. They met weekly and were tasked with advising us on our outreach and volunteer relations.
Caine Monroy
Caine joined us when imagination joined forces. His early work with Caine’s arcade while many people are showcasing creativity and STEAM – his main focus and emphasis he likes to show with his cardboard work is entrepreneurship and business through the use of innovation and creativity.
Mario Gonsalez-Gomez
Mario joined the team back in 2018 when he was still in high school. By then the Junior Board was working on reviewing and updating our programs for older students, so Mario’s interest in engineering and technology was a perfect fit.
Bauer Lee
Founder of Cardboard Superheroes
Bauer leads business development and partnerships, ensuring the organization’s growth through strategic collaborations and new opportunities.
Connor Lee
Founder of Cardboard Superheroes
Connor combines his creative expertise with a focus on product design, ensuring the development of engaging, hands-on experiences for clients and communities alike.
