Amber Dixon, Operations Director and After-School Program Site Director Amber is from Houston TX and she has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Texas State University. Amber is currently in Graduate school for Professional Counseling at St Edwards University. She absolutely loves working with children since she had her first job as a preschool school teacher. Amber has experience at residential treatment centers working with children and adults with intellectual disabilities and/or psychological disorders. She loves the idea of using music, theatre, and dance to help children build confidence, self-esteem, and life skills. Amber is super excited to be a part of the wonderful organization, Joshua’s Stage.
Kayla LaMartina, Program Support Coach and After-School Program Site Director Hi I’m Kayla. I went to Schreiner University in a small town named Kerrville, majoring in Behavioral Science and minoring in photography and business management. I have worked with all age groups, and enjoy them all, but find the most excitement in working with children! When I was younger, I babysat, and in college I worked at an emergency children center. After graduating, I worked with CPS until finding Joshua’s Stage. In my free time I enjoy crafting, gardening, and working with animals.
Emily Sandler, Program Coordinator, Instructor and One-on-One Aide Emily is our Program Coordinator, an instructor, and she is a one-on-one aide. She grew up in Lake Jackson Texas and from a young age had a passion for all things fine arts. She studied theatre/performance and communication at Concordia University Texas. Additionally, she has extensive experience in child care, working with children of all ages and throughout varying demographics. She believes that all children deserve a safe and caring environment where they can make mistakes and learn from them and that engaging in creativity is one of the best ways to accomplish that. Her favorite part about Joshua’s Stage is watching each child develop their confidence and lean into their own unique abilities and personalities. In Emily’s free time she enjoys reading, making music, and spending quality time with those she cares about. She is looking forward to helping your kids further develop social, emotional, and life skills through art and creativity and wants to thank you for allowing us to be a part of your child’s learning!
Jasmine Lax, Instructor Hey guys, my name Jasmine Lax. I am originally from Amarillo, Texas and I moved to the central Texas area when I was a senior in high school. I’ve worked with children before graduating, including working for the Boys & Girls Club for a year where I truly enjoyed my time as a program director. After that I worked as an infant/toddler care taker for 9 years, and I also ventured into nannying for military families. I fell in love with watching children and their curiosity for learning! My hobbies are painting and creating jewelry. I also love anything involving nature like hiking and rock climbing! I am looking forward to being here at Joshua’s Stage And watching these incredible children grow everyday!
Catherine Conner, Instructor Hi, I’m Catherine and I’m excited to be a member of the Joshua’s Stage team! I have been a volunteer at the Capital School After School program since 2018 and I love singing, creating stories and just being creative with kids. I was born and raised here in Austin – I’m a true Texas Longhorn fan! I played the flute in the band starting at Lamar Middle School, McCallum High School and finally at Blinn College in Brenham (yes, near the Blue Bell Creamery)! Fun fact: I got to be the band Director for my high school fight song during my graduation ceremony – it was a real honor! I also love to sing! I am a member of a choir called “We Are the Chorus” and have enjoyed performing in a number of musicals including Oklahoma, Cinderella and The King and I.
Two years ago, I became an aunt for the first time and I love playing with and reading to my 2 year-old nephew. My other brother recently had a baby boy so I now have two nephews – they both live in Austin, so I feel very lucky to spend time with my family when I’m not working! I’ve learned a lot from Joshua and I look forward to a fun and creative after-school program with the Joshua’s Stage team!
Sara McMillan, Site Director Sara is a Site Director for Joshua’s Stage programs, where Sara encourages and motivates students to participate in creative activities, work together, and maintain a friendly attitude. Born in San Angelo, Texas, Sara graduated from Christoval High School and is a proud recipient of the Samuel French award. Sara has always loved performing and believes being involved in the performing arts can help a person develop useful strategies and tools that will help them build positive relationships and enrich their daily lives. Sara is excited and looks forward to providing the safe, welcoming environment needed to encourage your children to grow emotionally, intellectually, and socially.
Jenny Kerr, Instructor Jenny is an instructor for one of the Joshua’s Stage after school programs. She works with an amazing team of people to engage with the students in fun and creative activities. Jenny has an active imagination and loves getting involved in the games and adventures the students often dream up. Jenny is currently a senior in high school and is looking forward to pursuing higher education. Jenny believes that getting involved with organizations that empower children and teenagers in her community is super rewarding and has volunteered for Joshua’s Stage several times for years before officially joining the team. Jenny has always loved The Creative Outlet Method and looks forward to coming into work and seeing its immensely positive results every time she enters the school building. Jenny looks forward to helping the students in the program enhance any social, emotional, or other general skills they may be working on while also making sure they are having an amazing time.
Mariana Rios, Instructor
Daisha Collins, Instructor
Shonna Durall, Instructor
Joshua Levy, Founder and Executive Director Growing up Joshua wrote stories, designed puppet shows and composed rap songs with his sister, directed plays, sang in musicals, worked on set design, and performed in plays. He started working with special needs children while in middle school and high school. Joshua has lived in Austin, Texas since 1998, and for eight years he taught special needs children at the elementary and high school levels, and he served as an assistant principal at an elementary school and at a high school. Following his career in public education Joshua was with Pearson in State Assessments for nine years including positions as a project manager, a test development manager, and a program manager. Joshua’s Stage is the product of Joshua’s combined experiences and passion for enriching the lives of individuals with special needs. In addition to overseeing and conducting programs for Joshua’s Stage, Joshua teaches informal classes for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs) in the Joshua’s Stage Lifelong Learning with Friends program, and he is an assistant adjunct professor at Austin Community College. Joshua is the President of Joshua Levy Educational Consulting, LLC, and he is the proud author of The Creative Outlet Method: At-Home Activities for Children with Special Needs. Joshua has an undergraduate degree in Elementary and Special Education from the University of Nebraska, a Masters of Educational Administration from Texas State University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Dallas. Joshua is married to his wife Lori, and they have two beautiful children and two dogs.