Board of Directors

Felicia believes she can fly. Believes she can touch the sky. She thinks about it every night and day - spreads her fabrics and flys away...

Joanna Gilmore has a background in education, youth development, and social services, with experience supporting schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations. Her work focuses on organization, communication, and serving the needs of students, families, and the broader community. She holds a Master of Social Work and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology.

Inspired by her child’s participation in Cirque Wonderland programming over several years, Joanna is passionate about helping remove barriers so more individuals can experience the confidence, creativity, and sense of community that these programs foster.

Megan Busselberg has served on multiple boards over the last fifteen years, including student body, preschool, and local church boards.  This is her first non-profit!  Her primary background is in science and nursing.  She holds two bachelor's degrees in Cellular/Molecular Biology and Nursing.  Megan has also had extensive training in music and the performing arts since she was a small child.  The arts are a life-long passion of hers.

Becoming a student at Cirque Wonderland as an adult has been one of the most transformative experiences of Megan's life.  The blend of physical training and artistic expression, as well as the uplifting community, has been pivotal in helping her navigate multiple life changes and building lasting resilience.  She is excited to help make this experience more available to youth and adults alike.

I’m Eliz Tomaras. I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the Heartland Circus Arts Foundation because taking classes at Cirque Wonderland has been such a rewarding experience for me, personally, that I want to be part of making this opportunity available to more people. Where else can you surround yourself with the most amazingly supportive people while learning to fly? I previously served as Secretary of the Board for TheatreMidwest, and I look forward to growing the skills I already have in this new endeavor. I’m most excited to help others grow their confidence, learn new things, and be a part of this circus community. Circus really is for everyone.

Anna Earhart is proud to serve the Heartland Circus Arts Foundation board as treasurer! She is also a student of aerial arts, silks is her apparatus of choice.As a member of the foundation’s board, she helps keep things running smoothly behind the scenes, making sure the numbers support the magic.

She first stumbled into aerial in 2020 while visiting her cousin in Uruguay and taking a class just for fun—only to discover she was completely hooked. What started as a spontaneous experience quickly turned into a lasting passion for silks, where she enjoys the challenge of building strength, untangling tricky sequences, and occasionally getting herself into (and out of) knots. 

The Cirque Wonderland community is very dear to Anna’s heart and she is excited to create opportunities for more students through the Heartland Circus Arts Foundation! Whether she’s balancing budgets or hanging upside down, Anna is proud to support a community that encourages creativity, resilience, and a little bit of daring.

Wendy Berkemann brings more than two decades of experience in Strategic Transformation, Business Architecture, and Human Resources to the Heartland Circus Arts Foundation Board. A seasoned leader in complex, matrixed environments, she has guided enterprise‑wide initiatives that strengthen organizational capability, streamline operations, and enable long‑term growth.

Wendy’s connection to the circus community is deeply personal. Her daughter has been a dedicated Aerial Fabrics student for many years, and Wendy has witnessed firsthand the profound impact the program has had on her confidence, resilience, and sense of belonging. Inspired by that transformation, Wendy is committed to ensuring children and adults across the community have access to the same empowering opportunities. She is honored to support the foundation’s mission and contribute her expertise to its continued evolution and success.

Nina Moser is a dedicated board member of the Heartland Circus Arts Foundation with a passion for education, community, and the performing arts. She spent 14 years as an educator in both public and private schools before transitioning into healthcare, where she has served as a Pediatric Program Coordinator at Blank Children’s Hospital for the past two years. Nina and her husband, Steve, are proud parents to three children: Miles, Josey, and Jack. As a lover of circus arts, she actively trains, performs, and participates in aerial arts, and enjoys sharing that passion with her daughter, who also takes classes. She is excited to serve on the board and help expand access to circus arts through scholarship opportunities, making circus more accessible for all.