Our Speakers and Facilitators

Amy Lisewski is an interactive speaker and facilitator, engaging teams and leaders to have more fun and be more effective. She is an entrepreneur, author, and consultant with over 25 years of experience in business and arts. An ‘introverted extrovert’, Amy holds a Masters in Library and Information Science and helped biotech and high tech companies improve their internal communications for over 15 years before founding Finest City Improv. A graduate of the Second City Conservatory program, Amy created the Improv for Business program at Finest City and has delivered hundreds of keynotes and trainings across the US. She is an alumnus of Teach For America, a Vistage Speaker, and an experienced event host.

Tommy Galan was a senior partner and trial attorney before becoming a full-time improviser and instructor. In 2009, he developed an improv course as continuing legal education for attorneys. He taught corporate and legal improv at Baruch College, Osgoode Hall University, and various industry-leading companies. He is also a highly regarded instructor and veteran performer with Finest City Improv.

Jesse Suphan is a graduate of Finest City Improv and has studied with dozens of top improv teachers from around the country. He is the founder and director of IMPRIDE, the nation’s first LGBTQi improv festival.

Bridget Cavaiola is a San Diego based educator, improviser, and facilitator and has been performing and teaching improv theater and communication strategies to adults and children since 2005.  She is the Associate Director of Education and Outreach at La Jolla Playhouse.  She is a Master Teaching Artist with Arts for Learning, San Diego, La Jolla Playhouse, and San Diego Junior Theatre and a performer and teacher with Finest City Improv.  She is the former Education Director for the Baltimore Improv Group as well as a former Teaching Artist for Young Audiences of Maryland. She was a Baltimore County Public Schools High School (MD) English and theater teacher for seven years.  Bridget is a graduate of the Young Audience of Maryland Teaching Artist Institute and has extensive training in inclusion, professional development, and arts integration.  She holds a masters degree in Communicating in Contemporary Cultures and teaches adjunct at the college level.  She has performed improv  in Baltimore, DC, New York, Chicago, Austin, Philadelphia, London, and San Diego.  Learn more at www.bridgetcavaiola.com 

Erica Clermont has a BA in theatre from UBC in Vancouver BC Canada. Erica has been involved in all types of theatre since the age of 4 doing musicals and spoken word and original pieces and directing shows as well. Erica got involved with FCI in 2013 when they were expanding and growing and became part of the House Team league. She started teaching soon after and has loved bringing improv into peoples lives.

She has also been a manager with Trader Joe’s for 18 years so has extensive training and team development skills. She has been a team building facilitator at USD, Jewish Family Services, El Cajon School District, numerous corporate events and companies.  She has taught improv to kids and teens as well as adults and has a lot of experience with facilitating large groups of people in team building and improv classes.

Gary Ware is a sought-after corporate facilitator and keynote speaker with nearly a decade of experience as a performer in improv theatre. He assists teams with unlocking creativity, confidence, and sparks collaboration with experiential methods proven to drive peak performance.

Gary spent over a decade in the corporate world and originally pursued improv to master public speaking. He quickly discovered that combining improv and play could be a powerful solution to achieve various business challenges. Gary became obsessed on learning how to use play as a transformational tool and as a result, happily transitioned from marketing to pursue facilitation full time.