Salida Circus Outreach Foundation Team

Jennifer Dempsey, Founder

Jennifer Dempsey is the founder and development officer for Salida Circus. Before she established Salida Circus in 2007, Jennifer spent 12 years with the Belfast Community Circus in Northern Ireland, 2 years with Circo Rum Ba Ba in London, and 5 years running the Scarlet Sisters Circus in Orange County, California with her sister Jessica.

Tom Hinerman, Board President

Tom Hinerman is the Board President of the Salida Circus Outreach Foundation. He got involved with the circus when his then 9-year-old daughter attended a camp one summer and got hooked. He originally just helped with camps and shows but then brought his photography hobby into the circus and expanded to a video production that has helped expand the circus’ presence. He is also one of our host locations specializing in aerial acrobatics and gymnastic groundwork.

Joan Lobeck, Workshop Manger

Joan Lobeck has been a tutor and performer with Salida Circus since 2015. As a teenager, Joan had learned how to juggle and ride a unicycle, which are skills, she discovered, that is never forgotten. Since joining Salida Circus, she has learned to walk on stilts, perform and teach the diabolo, and theatrical clowning. For over 20 years, Joan has worked as a church music director, accompanist, and vocalist. She occasionally brings her musical experience to circus performances. Her favorite moments in working with Salida circus are the opportunities to clown, juggle, and teach with her son, Joe. Joan currently manages circus programs at Horizons and the Salida Boys and Girls Club.

Joe Lobeck, Training Manager

Joe Lobeck joined Salida Circus in the fall of 2015 as both a performer and tutor. Joe has an extensive background in parkour, martial arts, and acrobats. He competed on American Ninja Warrior in 2012. Joe performs and teaches juggling, unicycling, acrobats, stilt-walking, and clowning.

Laura Hart, Executive Director

Laura Hart is an Early Childhood Educator in Buena Vista, Colorado. She has two fun and happy children, Ashley and Adam, who also share her love for circus arts. Laura is originally from the San Diego California area, where she grew up spending her time in the dance studio as a dance instructor’s daughter. During high school and college, she was heavily involved in competition co-ed cheerleading. This is where she learned how to elevate her tumbling and flying skill set. Now Laura is so thankful to have found and been a part of the Salida Circus Family where she loves to perform with her children, make new memories, and help people on their smile filled journeys. Laura is the Buena Vista Executive Director.

Sierra Fae, Educational Director

Sierra Fae has been a part of the Salida Circus for over a decade, dazzling audiences and inspiring students alike. As a seasoned performer, Sierra’s specialties soar as high as her aerial silks, balancing the whimsy of clowning with the towering grace of stilt walking. She’s a true circus chameleon—whether she’s juggling, tightrope walking, or leading partner acrobatics, she dances through each act with joy and precision.

But Sierra isn’t just a performer; she’s the mastermind behind the next generation of circus stars. As the Education Director, she’s passionately crafting an emergent performers program in her local community and spearheading outreach initiatives that stretch from the San Luis Valley to Buena Vista, Leadville, and Fairplay. Sierra’s dedication to her craft and her students is as boundless as her energy—both on and off the stage.
When she’s not teaching or performing, you might find her dreaming up new ways to bring the magic of the circus to every corner of Colorado.

Kat Clapp, Board Member

Kat ran away to the circus for the second time in 2012, when the director whispered into the phone so as not to wake a sleeping baby, "do you wanna join the circus?" When Kat called her grandma to say that she'd joined the sideshow and gotten a snake, Grandma replied, "So you got the Gift." (And that's how Kat figured out her grandma had been raised an Apostolic Pentecostal.) The first Salida Circus snake is nearly seven feet long this year, and Kat just brought home the third snake, brand new for the San Luis Valley Regional Community Engagement programs.

Photo credit to Joe Roode Photography (also a part of our circus, cough cough). Kat and Zuul at Mesa County Fair, Grand Junction, Colorado, July 2024.

San Luis, Valley RCE Leader

Jesse Shevel, Four Corners RCE Leader

**Jesse the Juggler** Originally from Portland, Maine, I discovered my passion for circus arts in third grade when a teacher introduced juggling to our class, and I haven’t looked back since. With over 20 years of experience, I have performed nationally and internationally on cruise ships and touring ice shows, where I perform juggling acts on skates. Now based in Colorado with my growing family, I cherish the opportunity to share my love for juggling and circus. I have been working with Salida Circus since 2017, and I look forward to growing the community here in the Four Corners area. I am dedicated to inspiring others through the magic of circus, whether in performance or teaching. It is my life’s work and I love it! (Photo blond male with juggling clubs) Kat is both positions:

Ben Dukeminer, Four Corners RCE Leader

Nate Calderone, Board Members