Mikel Cirkus, President
Mikel Cirkus has spent his 30 year career in creative thinking. As a designer, photographer, illustrator and writer, he has a unique perspective on the rapidly changing world of trends, content creation, and execution. He is currently the Global Director of Strategic Foresight for the Flavors Division of Firmenich, the largest privately owned company in the fragrance and flavor industry – where creativity is both an essence and a guiding principle. He has worked personally with many of the most innovative people in marketing, R&D, technical applications and brand management, for hundreds of products in nearly every category of consumer package goods, worldwide. Mikel is a graduate of The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and makes his home in the Princeton, NJ area.
Sashi Sreekanth, Vice President
Sashi Sreekanth moved to Princeton Junction from Greenwich, CT in 2017. As a Talent Acquisition professional for the past 15 years, she has a passion for people, with a primary focus on women’s empowerment. Sashi runs the Social Women of Greater Princeton group (established in 2018) that is successful in empowering women to form interest based clubs, and giving back to the community through fun and exciting events. She is also the editor of the “What Matters To You?” series of children’s books written by her son, Chakra Sreekanth. One of the books, All Shapes Matter, topped the Amazon Bestseller list under New Releases. It has since been incorporated into the state of Washington’s Elementary school curriculum for its emphasis on the power of kindness and inclusion. The books are also available at all West Windsor-Plainsboro Elementary school libraries. Sashi has a keen interest in all forms of art and sees it as a great binder in connecting people from different walks of life. She is an avid supporter of the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Sashi has a Bachelor’s degree in e-commerce from Brunel University in London where she was raised, and a Double Masters from the University of Westminster and Hochschule Bremen in Germany respectively.
Jyotika Bahree, Secretary
Jyotika Bahree is a former West Windsor councilwoman and Zoning Board member. As such, she worked tirelessly on issues that are important to the community and is passionate about bringing the community together. She believes that the Arts can serve as a vital instrument to tie the diverse threads of our community together. Jyotika has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Delhi University and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. Her professional experience has been in the areas of Sales and Marketing. Jyotika grew up in New Delhi and moved to the US close to twenty years ago. She has been a resident of West Windsor since 2007. She has three lovely boys and loves to travel and spend time with her family.
Ann Zawartkay, Treasurer
Ann Zawartkay holds a B.S. in Accounting and a B.A. in Classical Civilization from Lehigh University, where she was a high honors graduate and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of New Jersey, a Chartered Global Management Accountant, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Ann formed Nonprofit Accounting Solutions, LLC (NPAS) in 2014, where she specializes in accounting services for non-profit and tax-exempt organizations, including bookkeeping, financial reporting, budgeting, outsourced accounting department, and outsourced Controller/CFO services. Prior to forming NPAS, Ann spent ten years at Mercadien, P.C., Certified Public Accountants. She currently resides in Robbinsville, New Jersey.
Alisa Algava strives to understand how child- and community-centered schooling contests structural inequity and creates moments and spaces of radical possibility. A former student, teacher, principal and board member in progressive elementary schools, Alisa connects a developmental approach with a social and educational justice stance in her work with both children and adults. She graduated from and teaches in Bank Street’s leadership programs and is currently a doctoral student in Urban Education at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. Alisa’s greatest accomplishment and joy, though, is being the eldest daughter of artist and art teacher Priscilla Snow Algava, or as Priscilla used to call Alisa and her younger sister Carin: “My two greatest works of art.” Alisa learned from her mama to see beauty everywhere. Priscilla was a beloved teacher at West Windsor Arts until she was tragically diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and then died in 2019. WWA created a scholarship fund in her honor. Priscilla is deeply missed and her creative joyful spirit lives on right here with her daughters, family and friends, the regional arts community and all of us, every day.
Maureen Connolly-Hersh currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in secondary education at The College of New Jersey and is a consultant with CBK Associates, an organization committed to service learning and engaging educational experiences. Before moving from New York to New Jersey, Maureen was a high school English teacher and grant coordinator for the New York Metropolitan Area. In these roles, Maureen has developed many standards-based initiatives that link community outreach, character education, and literacy. Her work has enabled her to collaborate with teachers across the United States and around the globe, including an international fellowship in Morocco, volunteering to teach in India, Ghana, and Peru, and teaching graduate courses in Spain. Maureen believes that at the core of her work is a commitment to developing purposeful learning that opens people’s eyes to the potential for positive change in themselves and in their local, national, and global communities.