Meet the Team
Bryan Benham
Director of Learning
Bryan draws on 25+ years experience creating innovative experiences in education and online learning for higher education, corporate, and non-profit organizations. He joined the circus in early 2022, attracted to the mission of Grand Circus to make a tech career available to everyone. He really enjoys working with the rest of the circus finding new and better ways to deliver quality technical education and create career opportunities for everyone. He is a lifelong fan of science fiction and nature documentaries. He is passionate about the ocean even though he lives in a land-locked state. And he absolutely loves adventures with his two kids and wife, and now a new puppy.
Jeff Cogswell
Instructional Manager
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 Operations Manager
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.
Elizabeth Heaton (She/Her/Hers)
Director of Career Services and Alumni Relations
Elizabeth is a Chicago native who has spent time in Detroit to pursue her love of helping others reach their highest potential, and now resides back in Chicago. 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
Instructor
Naomi Israel (She/Her/Hers)
Admissions Manager
Naomi is passionate about connecting people with opportunities for advancement, particularly through the admissions process! After 6 years of higher education experience, the transition to Grand Circus, a mission based educational technology company, is the perfect space for Naomi to continue doing what she loves. She is currently located in Spartanburg, SC where she lives with her beloved pets (Andie and Nico). In her free time, she enjoys yoga, traveling, trying new restaurants, and making new connections in the community.
Justin Jones
Instructor
MJ Jordan (She/Her or They/Them)
Bootcamp Operations Associate
MJ is a Talent Operations Guru, DEIB Advocate, and lifelong learner of new things! While they lived most of their lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and the surrounding area, they recently moved to Rochester, New York, with their fiancé and two pets. A week after that, MJ started their new role at Grand Circus! They graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in Events Planning, but since then, they have garnered over 5 years of talent acquisition experience. MJ was impressed at Grand Circus’ commitment to diversity and loves that Grand Circus strives to help others change their careers. When not at work, you can find MJ cozying up with a good book, playing video games, or sitting down with their friends playing a game of D&D.
Hannah Jordan (She/Her/Hers)
Digital Content Creator
Hannah is a Tennessee native and a current Philadelphia resident. She attended Drexel University where she studied Public Relations and Communications. Hannah feels extremely lucky to have found her niche at Grand Circus as the Digital Content Creator! She strives to find creative ways of bringing people together using storytelling and interactive media. Outside of work, you can find Hannah out for a hike or at the river playing with her new puppy, Finley (aka Fin Diesel).
Jeff Robinson
Business to Business Delivery Specialist
Jeff is a former restaurant industry professional turned Grand Circus team member in 2022. His background in fast-paced environments and customer service equips him with excellent teamwork and problem-solving skills. Grand Circus’ mission to help folks from all backgrounds into a new career resonates with Jeff, who is a graduate of one of the programs here. He is a technology enthusiast who brings adaptability, and a strong sense of camaraderie to the team. In his free time, Jeff enjoys playing hockey, golf, and video games.
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.
Shauna Strickler
Career Services Specialist
Shauna joined the Grand Circus family in January of 2022 as a Career Services Specialist, focusing on the After-Hour cohorts. She comes to Grand Circus with over 12 years of Career Services experience in higher education. She received her Masters in Student Affairs in Higher Education in 2009 and has worked at a variety of institutions along the east coast, such as University of Central Florida and University of North Georgia. She moved to the Chicagoland area in 2019, where she became a stay at home mom to her 3 boys before re-entering the workforce. When she is not working, you will find her reading, visiting her home state of PA and cheering on her sports teams, Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Braves.
Scott Tribble (He/Him/His)
Director of Marketing & Enrollment Management
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.
Tommy Waalkes
Instructor
Tommy is a programmer/instructor living in Grand Rapids. He graduated from Hope College with degrees in Computer Science and Classical Studies. From a young age, Tommy took to computers, loving the freedom and creative outlet they provided. In his spare time, he loves to study history and create video games. He is passionate about helping others and showing what doors learning to code can unlock, as well as helping those with different learning styles/differences.
Ian Washington (He/Him/His)
Director of Social and Community Impact
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
Lead Program Manager
Billy is the Lead Program Manager at Grand Circus and manages the team responsible for student success. He enjoys helping students make a transformative change in their lives as they develop their technical skills. Billy lives in Detroit with his husband, two cats and Blue Heeler. When not working you can find him making art, gardening, riding bikes, or reading.
David Wolverton
Curriculum Manager
David has been a bootcamp instructor at Grand Circus for over six years and now oversees our 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.
