Meet the Team

Bryan Benham

Director of Learning

Jeff Cogswell

Instructor

Jeff is a seasoned software developer since landing his first job after college in the 90s. He has worked primarily for large phone companies and has programmed with almost every language imaginable. He’s excited to share everything he knows with Grand Circus students. Jeff has also written a dozen books, including C++ All in One for Dummies.

Laura Crouch (She/Her/Hers)

Career Services Manager

Laura has 12+ years of experience in career coaching, recruiting, and higher education. Laura was lucky enough to join the Grand Circus team in April 2021. It is so exciting for her to see students land their first job in tech. What could be more fulfilling than being able to support someone in such a huge transition in their life? Outside of her work, Laura spends most of her time with her husband and two young kids. They enjoy hiking and camping, especially at state and national parks. Being a North Carolina resident, they frequent the Blue Ridge Parkway and its surrounding areas often.

Mitchell Cuckovich (He/Him/His)

Instructor

Brennan Davis (He/Him/His)

Digital Marketing Operations Specialist

Brennan is a passionate advocate for alternative education and training pathways for learners who don’t feel college is the right path for them. He brings experience in marketing, branding, graphic design, web development, and education to his role as the Digital Marketing Operations Specialist here at Grand Circus. Outside of work, you can probably find Brennan playing video games with his friends or in the corner, absent from the world, reading a fantasy novel.

Reggie Dixon

Teaching Assistant

Reggie is a TA for the Fullstack JavaScript May 2021 after hours course. Reggie recently graduated from GC in May and subsequently joined the team there after. Before the tech industry Reggie was an avid industrial worker and also has spent over 20 years in the service. Looking for a career change he explored tech and fell in love. Some of his personal interests include creating things via graphic design methods and also has an endless love for basketball.

Mariah Hall

Teaching Assistant

Elizabeth Heaton (She/Her/Hers)

Sr. Manager, Career Services & Alumni Relations

Elizabeth is a Chicago native who relocated to Detroit to pursue her love of helping others reach their highest potential. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Masters in Counseling from Adler University. With 10 years experience in education, Elizabeth transitioned to Detroit to help adults achieve their career goals. Elizabeth brings a diverse background of experiences and insights to help individuals regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Elizabeth is a Mom of three, an avid Peloton rider, and an activist for the LGBT+ community.

Andrea Hoffman

Teaching Assistant

Justin Jones

Instructor

Tiia Kansa

Teaching Assistant

Antonio Manzari

Teaching Assistant

Antonio joined the Grand Circus team as a teaching assistant after graduating from the .NET bootcamp in early 2021. He is an aspiring educational game developer with a background in graphic design, web development, music, and animation. Antonio loves to travel, visit coffee shops and museums, explore new cities by bike or by foot, and bake his favorite southern Italian flat bread — focaccia barese!

Rachel O'Sullivan (She/Her/Hers)

Admissions Manager

Rachel is a passionate student advocate that you’d find in our Admissions Dept. as our Admissions Manager! She joined GC in Sept ’21 & will tell you she’s in her dream job helping guide students through a career change or achieve a personal goal of theirs. Now, after finding her ‘career home’, her + her husband + their 2 dogs – MJ & S’More – are expecting their first baby!! When she isn’t answering emails, or getting ready for Baby X’s arrival, you can find her on the golf course trying to shed strokes off her handicap!

Jayashree Ravi

Instructor

Damien Rocchi

CEO & Founder

Damien is the CEO and Founder of Grand Circus. He started Grand Circus to close the technical skills gap and to create a path for people of all backgrounds into high-paying, high-growth technical careers. Damien is originally from Australia and has worked in leadership roles at some of Australia’s largest media and consumer companies. He is passionate about all things Australian, AFL, his family and calamari fishing.

Carmen Scott (She/Her/Hers)

Program Manager

Carmen is an intercultural communication enthusiast working as a Daytime Program Manager at Grand Circus. While working several roles in academic research and student academic instruction/mentorship Carmen obtained her B.A. in Global Studies with Italian instruction from Wayne State University. She has also received formal training in American Sign Language. A self-declared nerd at heart, Carmen enjoys non-fiction audiobooks, podcasts, foreign TV, movies and music, as well as hiking, dancing, and crocheting.

Scott Tribble (He/Him/His)

Director of Marketing

Anthony Tuttle (He/Him/His)

Associate Director of Community Relationships

At his core, Anthony is a learner and an educator who is passionate about building community, increasing diversity in the tech workforce, and equitably sharing resources to help individuals improve their lives and communities.

As a member of the Grand Circus growth & marketing teams, he works with organizations across the Midwest to help identify and prepare individuals to launch their careers in tech. Anthony earned a BS in Technology, Engineering, and Design Education from North Carolina State University and a MA in Management from the Wake Forest University School of Business.

Frank Urso

Vice President of Business Development

Frank works with our enterprise partners in helping them grow and acquire the talent they need to tackle today’s IT challenges. He is passionate about Grand Circus’ mission to directly connect learning to careers, with a focus on creating talent that reflects the community we live in. Born and raised as a Detroit Tigers fan, a seismic shift has occurred as he supports his new hometown team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Alex Vale (They/Them/Theirs)

Digital Content Creator

Alex is a writer and designer on our marketing team who creates artwork and messaging to reflect our company vision, values, and goals. They’ve been telling brand stories using multimedia since 2006, serving dozens of companies, big and small, in the entertainment, tech startup, and non-profit spaces. Alex studied film, business, marketing, and front-end design, and specializes in creative strategy and project management. They are a self-published author of books and materials on creative careers, as well as a fantasy fiction series. Alex is also an avid traveler and digital nomad.

Jeseeka Vaughn

Instructor

Tommy Waalkes

Instructor

Ian Washington (He/Him/His)

Director of Admissions

Ian joined Grand Circus in December 2014 after a few years in the beverage industry where he was a partner with a local brewery. Why Grand Circus?  As a native Detroiter and lifelong learner, the idea of tech education was exciting and challenging. “Nothing like Grand Circus existed while I was growing up” – So with that said, Ian decided that he wanted to be a part of growing this business and industry in the Detroit area and beyond.  Ian is married with 2 kids and lives a quiet life in the woods with mediocre wifi access and deer that eat his prized hosta garden.

April Watkins (She/Her/Hers)

Director of Operations

April leads operations, managing processes, systems, and OKR development, and people operations & culture. She has held leadership roles at established companies and startups ranging from early-stage Internet companies to personal healthcare. At Dolby Laboratories, she worked in creative services, real estate, finance, and operations, oversaw expansion into over 30 countries, and served as integration lead for multiple acquisitions. After many years in San Francisco, April is now back in Northern Michigan, and is thrilled to have found a home with the Grand Circus family!

William Westley

Program Manager

David Wolverton

Curriculum Manager

David has been a bootcamp instructor at Grand Circus for over five years and oversees our Full Stack JavaScript curriculum. Before joining the staff, David worked as a software developer for many years. He loves working in IT and got into teaching because of a desire to help others get into the field.