Team
The Mira Fellowship was created to honor our daughter Mira Yli Fox. Her life was brief but left a profound impact. In her short time, she taught us two lessons; one, if something isn’t working take a step back and see it from a new perspective. And two, life is now, if you have a dream, do it now.
Coeylen Barry
Director of Curriculum
Coeylen has over 10 years experience working in innovative educational programming. After receiving her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Teacher Education from Stanford University, she joined the founding team of African Leadership Academy (www.africanleadershipacademy.org) as manager of curriculum development. She oversaw the creation of a cutting edge Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Design, and African Studies curriculum. Students who have completed this program are already changing the world with their innovative ideas.
After launching the ALA in South Africa, Coeylen joined the K-12 lab at the Stanford Institute of Design to help with teacher training and curriculum development. She successfully led workshops for schools and educators from around the world. In addition to working with a variety of world-class institutions Coeylen has done extensive educational consulting with schools both locally and internationally. Coeylen is passionate about the creative process and has spent years refining curriculum to support people with a vision who want to bring it into reality to affect change.
John Fox
Director of Innovation
John is a designer and inventor who has been working in product design and production for over 15 years. He was the owner of Earthling Manufacturing, a soft goods production business before becoming the director of innovation for multiple outdoor gear brands including, Kelty, Sierra Designs, and Ultimate direction. He now owns and leads Kinetik Climbing which designs and produces award winning climbing gear.
He holds numerous patents and design awards and is passionate about creating high-quality solutions. He is excited to apply his passion for developing new ideas to support fellows as they explore and develop their concepts from the ground up.
Kai Barry
Director of Story
Kai is passionate about story and its ability to motivate us. A great idea only motivates one person. To motivate a larger group you must tell a great story. He's excited to help turn our fellow's ideas into clear communicable stories.
For more than 10 years Kai has been writing, producing, and directing award winning films. Since completing his studies at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Kai's films have been shown across the world and received glowing praise from the Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, and the New York Times. His most recent film, NEWCOMER, an art house spy thriller shot in Serbia, was selected for the prestigious honor of opening night film at the Raindance Film Festival and nominated for best picture at the Austin Film Festival.
Prior to his film career Kai received a BA in Product Design Engineering and a MSE in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. More.
Sarah Dobrovolny
Operations Associate
Sarah Estes Dobrovolny brings 20+ years of nonprofit operations experience to The Mira Fellowship. She began her career in social services, volunteering and working with formerly incarcerated and homeless men in addiction recovery, supporting women experiencing domestic violence, teaching ESL to migrant farm workers, and providing emergency financial assistance to families with children. Sarah relocated from New York/Massachusetts to California in 2009 to work with a conservation corps comprised of volunteers from across the globe. Her experience also extends to renewable energy, where she began as Administrative Associate and worked her way up to be Director of Operations, overseeing a team of 10 employees. Sarah has also worked in local government, where she supported Marin County elected officials and community members in addressing issues including climate change, sea level rise, wildfire, homelessness, and more. Always seeking out mission-driven entities that are working to make the world a better place for everyone, Sarah enthusiastically joined the Mira Fellowship team in 2024.
Sarah is highly organized, systems-oriented, and adept at project management. She enjoys improving efficiency and accessibility, creating clear and impactful communications, and being a resource for those around her. Sarah received her Bachelor’s in sociology and Spanish, and her Master’s in Public Administration from Clark University.