About Us

Coeylen Barry

Founder / 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 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.

Kai Barry

Founder / 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

Director of Operations

Sarah brings more than 20 years of experience working alongside mission-driven organizations and diverse communities, guided by a deep belief in building a more compassionate society. Her career began in social services, supporting people in addiction recovery, survivors of domestic violence, migrant farm workers, and families in crisis. She has since worked with globally diverse teams across conservation, renewable energy, and local government, gaining a broad, human-centered perspective on how meaningful change takes shape in different contexts.

Throughout her career, Sarah has focused on the operational side of mission-driven work: building systems, improving processes, and creating clarity behind the scenes. She is highly organized, with a steady approach to project management, communication, and problem-solving. Sarah believes that smooth, thoughtful operations are essential to making ambitious ideas sustainable and accessible, and to supporting people as they do complex, meaningful work.

Sarah joined the Mira Fellowship in 2024, drawn to its commitment to supporting visionary Fellows working to build a more just and compassionate future. She brings her experience and operational mindset to strengthen the foundation that allows the Fellowship and its Fellows to focus on learning, connection, and impact. Sarah holds a BA in Sociology and Spanish and an MPA from Clark University.