Zip Zap Circus USA Directors
We are fortunate to have a dedicated and diverse board of directors guiding our mission and initiatives. Comprised of accomplished professionals from various backgrounds, our board members bring a wealth of expertise and passion to the organization.
During his time as an educator at several universities, Merschen ventured into consulting across various industries. However, it was the travel and tourism sector that truly captured his interest. He founded Myriad, a marketing firm exclusively serving the international travel industry, catering to private clients and governments across five continents. Over three decades, he devised strategic solutions, fostered industry partnerships, and spearheaded global initiatives. In 2016, Myriad joined the MMGY Global portfolio. At MMGY, his role revolves around International Insights development.
In 2020, Merschen launched The Sigmund Project, a digital nonprofit dedicated to innovating travel and tourism through collaboration. Additionally, he sits on several nonprofit and startup advisory boards while continuing to share his expertise through global marketing presentations.
Alan Elliot Merschen
Elias Popa
Elias Popa is an Artist, Curator, Human Rights Advocate, Writer, & Restauranteur based in New York City. Through his work, Popa establishes a unique visual vocabulary of community through engendering moments of hospitality. His art creates space for the viewer to meditate and reflect on complex human desires through the use of tension, balance, endless repetition and allegory. His art, as well as his curatorial works, have exhibited in New York, Hong Kong and China, to name a few. It was in his last home, Hong Kong, where he founded The Human Rights Network, a non-profit using art as a language for diplomacy and human rights.
Popa is also the Executive Chef and Owner of Oti, New-American restaurant with true Romanian roots in Lower East Side NYC. Named after his mother, Oti’s mission is to deliver beautiful and honest hospitality through elevated traditional cuisine. In addition, he owns ANTHM in Cape Town, as well as Love Thy Neighbor in NYC. In his free time, you can find Popa rock climbing, traveling, reading…and most of all, rarely sleeping.
Shannon Xhola
Shannon's journey began in circus arts at age 9, igniting a passion for performance and teaching. She found purpose in coaching and promoting Social Circus, which emphasizes life lessons beyond performance. Working with Zip Zap students in South Africa, Shannon witnessed the transformative impact of circus on children from diverse backgrounds, including those affected by HIV.
After her time there, she furthered her mission with Cirque du Monde and helped establish Social CirKISH in Las Vegas, serving at-risk youth. Now in Minnesota, she continues to believe in circus's power to change lives, coaching at a nonprofit Aerial Arts school.
Josh Aviner
Beth Binns Schoellkopf
EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC!
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