Judith Cohen
Founder and Executive Director
Judith’s career as a business consultant has spanned a variety of fields. For over 10 years before founding Handful Players, she served as President of CoMotion Corporation, which she founded to help companies transform their business through communications. Today, fulfilling a lifelong dream, Judith is helping children thrive through the transforming power of theater. Before starting CoMotion, she was a Senior Vice President with Xceed Inc., an interactive marketing communications firm. During her career she has been an account manager and senior consultant with the international human resource consulting firm, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a tax accountant with the global accounting and management consulting firm, Deloitte & Touche, and a Director of Finance for Jewish Family and Children Services. A former C.P.A., Judith holds an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University and a B.A. in sociology from Mills College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She has been an active member on the Boards of The One Act Theatre, YMCA – Embarcadero Branch, and the San Francisco Chapter of the CPA Society. In 2016, Judith was honored as a Community Connector for providing San Francisco’s Western Addition youth with quality performing arts enrichment opportunities by Mo’MAGIC, a collaborative of youth organizations founded by San Francisco’s Public Defender, the late Jeff Adachi. In 2015, Judith was awarded the Jefferson Award for Public Service, by CBS San Francisco and the Legacy Award for her sustained support of theater by Theatre Bay Area.
Dallas Thomas
Director of Education and Engagement,
African American Shakespeare Company
Benjamin Viray
Youth Education Program Manager
Benjamin’s passion for serving youth started early in his career, where he took on different roles at his local school district. His desire to work with children grew through his work at Big Lift Inspiring Summers, in which he taught STEAM-based curriculum and worked to help improve the reading and writing proficiency of students at elementary schools in his community. He now utilizes his quantitative and education-focused background as the program and business coordinator at Handful Players, where he impacts the students through his support of the teaching artists, both inside and outside the classroom. Benjamin graduated from St. Mary’s College of California in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a double minor in math and computer science.
Jamey Williams
Program Supervisor and Spoken Word Instructor
Jamey is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary poet, rapper, actor as well as an experienced arts educator. He has been teaching spoken word poetry workshops for youth in K – 12th grades since 2016. Jamey has also worked as a public school teacher and a college prep adviser at University of California, Berkeley. He also has a Career and Technical Education teaching credential from the Orange County Department of Education. As a community organizer and internationally recognized performer, he was a runner-up in the 2020 Bass Schuler Entertainment America’s Best College Poet Competition. In 2017, after winning the Compliment Death Match at the National Poetry Slam, he became the first person to be dubbed “the nicest poet in the country.” That same year he co-founded the Rich Oak Alchemy Open Mic as well as the Cal State East Bay Slam Poetry Club. His spoken word achievements also include: touring internationally; publishing two chapbooks; & performing at Twitter, Yelp, and Google Headquarters. He is also known for his screen and stage acting and was featured in a Truth Anti-Tobacco commercial which premiered during the 2018 Grammys, before being shown on television stations around the country. He has also been featured in stub hub ads and 2020 presidential voter PSAs. Jamey graduated from Cal State East Bay and holds a degree in English with a focus in creative writing.
Darien Caine
Program Coordinator
Darien understands first-hand the impact of performing arts on underserved youth having studied and performed in Handful Players’ musical theater programs for two years as a youth. He values the chance now to give back to a group that had a significant impact on his life by helping him gain tools to see the world from more than one perspective. As Program Coordinator, Darien manages the scheduling of program workshops and special event activities and related reporting and general administrative tasks. He serves as the liaison helping teaching artists and partner camp contacts stay connected and in communication. He has a B.S. in Biochemistry from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.