Our Team

Naomi Shafer is a clown and a producer. She uses humor, playfulness and physical storytelling to turn power dynamics upside down. As the Executive Director of Clowns Without Borders USA, she produces clown tours in refugee camps, conflict zones and sites of natural disaster. She holds a B.A. from Middlebury College, an M.B.A. from Marlboro College, and a rubber chicken from the San Francisco Circus Center Clown Conservatory.

Maggie never dreamed she’d be working with a bunch of clowns — but she’s loving every minute of it! Maggie has an MPH and 6+ years of progressive experience in public health program management, including a Program Officer role with a national foundation. She currently works ‘without borders’ from Argentina, reaching new CWB supporters and deepening existing connections. Check out her powerful storytelling on the CWB blog (link).

Amrita Dhaliwal (she/her) is an award-winning Punjabi American comedian, arts leader, educator and devising artist based in Los Angeles, whose work spans multiple mediums, from stage to TV and film. Her work explores the core themes of humanity, like death and love, through a lens of the current social-political climate. For more, go to www.amritadhaliwal.com or IG @amrithatha.

David M. Rosenthal has worked as a Family Therapist, Faculty member and Executive Director of a harm reduction center. He’s given academic presentations all over the world and has written a number of professional publications and books. David received his Ph.D. in Counselor Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He’s currently an Associate Professor at the Mailman School of Public Health and a behavioral faculty member in the Center for Family and Community Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center. He’s also served on other nonprofit boards.

Eric spent 18 years managing nonprofit programs with the UN Refugee Agency, Groundswell Energy, Community Matters, and Engaging Networks. He has used theater as a tool for social change in prisons, with refugee youth, and in schools throughout California and the US. He has studied clown with Giovanni Fusetti and performs an original, participatory kids’ music show throughout the Bay Area. He has toured with Clowns without Borders USA in Ecuador and has been a board member for several years. Eric is currently pursuing a master’s in clinical social work at Smith College.

Marisol is a cultural worker, theater artist, educator, and facilitator. Her acting, directing, and devising work have appeared on stages in NYC, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston, Miami, Maine, Colorado, and Alaska. She is a tenured member of the teaching artist ensemble at the New Victory Theater in NYC, where she has also developed original work for young audiences as a lead artist in the LabWorks program. In the spring of 2023, Marisol made her Off-Broadway directorial debut with Spellbound Theater’s Wink at the New Victory. She is a graduate of Princeton University and of Helikos International School of Theatre Creation in Florence, Italy. Marisol is proud to have been affiliated with CWB as a performer and board member since 2015.

Meredith Gordon is an artist working with live performance, clowning, theater, and music. He worked as a medical clown for 20 years, first with the Big Apple Circus Clown Care and now as one of the founding members of Humorology Atlanta. Since 2001, Meredith has been a social circus coach with Cirque du Monde and now with SoCirque. He is a 2019 recipient of the Tanne Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by an artist. Meredith performed with CWB in The Bahamas and Turkey.

Michi Jakob was born in Germany and, after stops around the globe, he settled in Manhattan in 1997 where he lives with his wife, three children and two English labs. Following 30 years in banking, he runs his own firm focusing on capital raising in emerging markets. Fluent in German, Spanish and English, he has lived, studied, or worked in Germany, the USA, Canada, England, Costa Rica, Argentina, Indonesia, and Spain. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Trent University and a MPhil from The University of Cambridge.

Tim joined Clowns Without Borders in 2003 when he was lassoed by an audience member during a CWB performance in a rural town. A graduate of the Dell’Arte School of Physical Theatre, he has served CWB as a Volunteer, Executive Director, and Board President. CWB’s work in meeting people where they are to share laughter and healing inspired him to become a nurse. He then earned a doctoral degree from Columbia University in public health. He is currently the Co-Chief Well-Being Officer for Emory Healthcare. Tim has performed with CWB in Kurdistan, Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Turkey, Sierra Leone, Eswatini, Lesotho, the Philippines, and South Africa.

Victoria is a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in trauma, immigration/displacement, loneliness, and group dynamics. She also co-facilitates training groups for MBA students at Chicago Booth and provides consultation to psychotherapists in the U.S. and China. She is also a visual artist, a nerd of long-form improv, and an occasional student of clowning. She has presented numerous workshops nationally and internationally on the intersection of improv and psychotherapy. Victoria holds various volunteer roles in the American Group Psychotherapy Association. She has previously worked in management consulting and nonprofits and has previously lived in China, France, and Japan. She speaks Mandarin (native), French (advanced), and Spanish (intermediate).

Moshe Cohen, aka Mr. YooWho, is the founder of Clowns Without Borders – USA. Since 1987, he has performed in Burma, Kosovo, South Africa, Nepal, Guatemala, Haiti, Croatia, Chiapas (Mexico), South Sudan, and Baton Rouge, LA. Moshe continues to perform and teach internationally. Over the past 25 years, he’s given over 2000 performances in over 30 countries. He continues to teach workshops exploring the expression of personal humor through physical theater and contemporary clown.