Our Consultants
The Focus 5 team includes National Board Certified teachers, professional artists and teaching artists, arts integration specialists,
a certified reading specialist, a technology integration specialist,
and experts in inclusive practices and strategies for supporting students with disabilities.
Let us help you build classroom communities where learning is active, expressive, and unforgettable.
Sean Layne
Founder, Senior Consultant
Sean is the founder of and Senior Consultant for Focus 5, Inc., and author of the book Acting Right: Building a Cooperative, Collaborative, Creative Classroom…
Melanie Rick
Co-owner, Senior Consultant
Melanie is a National Board Certified Teacher, certified reading specialist, and co-owner and Senior Consultant for Focus 5, Inc. She designs and leads workshops, in-depth…
Daniel Barash
Daniel holds a master’s degree in Education from New York University and applies his strong background in education to his art form. Shadow puppetry, with…
Garrett Brown
Garrett is a national teaching artist who specializes in cartooning, illustration, and sequential art (comic books). He earned a BFA in Studio Art from the…
Harlan Brownlee
Harlan understands the transformational power that the arts have to improve the quality of life for individuals and the community. He possesses a passion for…
Jamin Carter
Jamin is an educator, activist, artist, and minister who calls Memphis, TN his home. He holds a BFA in sculpture and painting and a MAT…
Lorena Cervantes
Lorena Cervantes has been the Dance Integration teacher at Bailey’s Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences for over a decade. She is also a national workshop leader for The John F. Kennedy Center.…
Carrie Chinners
Carrie holds a master’s degree in Arts Integration from Lesley University and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from The College of Charleston, South Carolina…
Imani Gonzalez
Imani is a professional world/jazz vocalist, National Kennedy Center teaching artist, and children’s author. Her voice is featured on many of the National Geographic Television’s…
Ryan Hourigan
Ryan Hourigan joined the faculty at Ball State University in the fall of 2006 after nine years of teaching music at the secondary and university level in Illinois…
Kassie Misiewicz
Kassie is a professional Theatre for Youth director, actor and John F. Kennedy Center National Teaching Artist. She received her Masters of Fine Arts degree…
Jason Nious
Jason is a performing artist and creative director whose background with high school step teams and NCAA gymnastics launched his life-long love for the arts….
Angie Russo
Angie Russo holds a master’s degree in Administration and Supervision and bachelor’s degrees in both Art History and Psychology, with teaching credentials in elementary education…
Maria Schaedler-Luera
Maria is a Brazilian-born educator and artist who studied with acclaimed director Augusto Boal and has taught classes and workshops that focus on Theatre of…
Lynne Silverstein
Lynne Silverstein has 50 years’ experience in designing and leading programs in arts education, arts integration, and professional learning for educators and teaching artists…
Kay Thomas
Kay is a visual artist who received an M.F.A. in ceramics from Arizona State University and a B.F.A. degree in ceramics from Texas A&M University….
Sam Tidwell
Sam hails from Greenfield, CA where he embarked on a yearlong walk across America, arriving in New York City on November 1st, 2014. His journey…
Morgan Vaught
Morgan was an elementary classroom teacher for 14 years in a John F. Kennedy Center CETA (Changing Education Through the Arts) school in the Washington…
Paige Whelan
Paige Whelan is a problem solver. She grew up watching her father tinker with half-built computers in the garage. He often pulled her away from…
Kuniko Yamamoto
Kuniko, a native of Japan and an award-winning theatre performer and artist, embarked on her journey to the United States in 1985 to study theatre…