Employee Spotlight: Kae James Brings Courage and Creativity to Toledo and the Birds Eye View Circus

It might surprise you that a project coordinator for the city of Toledo also has the daring spirit to climb, spin, and fly through the air on aerial silks.

Kae James brings that same courage to her role as project coordinator for the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the Human Relations Commission. Her social work background in emergency services and inpatient care informs her approach, and she has made it her goal to expand into macro and population-based interventions.

"I graduated from Bowsher High School, completed my undergraduate social work and women's studies programs at the University of Toledo, and graduated from Spring Arbor University with my Master of Social Work," James said.

"I have lived quite a few places, but I've considered Toledo my home for a while now. My partner recently moved here from Des Moines, Iowa and often likes to say that she believes I am Toledo's biggest fan."

James discovered aerial acrobatics through Birds Eye View Circus, finding a creative outlet that complements her professional values. "Every year at Toledo Pride, I looked forward to seeing the stilt walkers in the parade, and eventually struck up a conversation with one of them about their talent," she said.

"That conversation led me to attending Birds Eye View Circus's winter showcase of Krampus at the end of last year, and I enrolled in my first class during the show's intermission."

She has been performing with Birds Eye View Circus for a year, about the same amount of time she has been with the city, though her interest in circus-like arts spans more than a decade.

"I feel this endeavor is a natural extension of circus-esque arts I've been doing for 10+ years, like special effects makeup, haunt acting, and puppet making," James said.

"My deepest passions pertain to people, places, and things that are often dismissed or feared by others, which I imagine is the root cause of most of my hobbies being considered a bit 'out there.'"

Her circus work also informs her professional life. "Performing on aerial silks feels like an extension of and embodies my core values that I carry with me into the professional space such as authenticity, community, and the willingness to do things that are new, difficult, or frightening," James said.

"I have also had the wonderful opportunity to make new friendships and professional partnerships in the circus community, including Morgan Sopko, my instructor and a co-owner of Birds Eye View Circus. Morgan is also the Camp and Enrichment Programs Coordinator for the Metroparks. She and I are now developing programming for Save Our Community inside the Metroparks, and that opportunity came about through circus."

Balancing social work and city programs with the daring world of aerial acrobatics may seem unlikely, yet for James, both involve courage, connection, and community.