Jenny Hall – Team Lead

Jenny lives in Aiken, South Carolina with her husband and three children. Jenny’s experience with the Down syndrome community began 22 years ago with the birth of her oldest son, Jordan. She founded the Upside of Downs of Aiken in 2010 to promote advocacy, education, and inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome. She has served as the Chair of the local Buddy Walk since 2008 and is active with the NDSC conference.
Jenny obtained her Bachelor of Science Radiological Sciences from the Medical University of Georgia and her Master in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina Aiken.  Professionally she had various positions in banks, was a sonographer and now works as a Business Manager in a medical facility. She firmly believes that one life can make a difference, as proven daily by her son.

Janet Broome – 2nd Team Lead

Janet Broome is the mother of four children. Janet’s third child was diagnosed with Down syndrome. She enjoys assisting with various community activities such as Vacation Bible School, local Buddy Walks, therapy sessions, and the Special Olympics to name a few.  She is active with local Down syndrome support groups. She uses her creativity to produce crafts and donates items to local causes.

Lizanne Sekul

Lizanne has a son, Braxton, who has Down syndrome. She is a child neurologist, who is an advocate, not only for her son, but also for her patients. She has always sought to support her son and her patients in achieving their highest level of potential. Lizanne believes Gigi’s Playhouse has similar goals for those with Down syndrome. She believes that although her son may not be able to benefit from all the resources that Gigi’s has to offer, since Braxton is an adult, he will benefit from it and pay it forward, helping others to achieve their goals.

Timothy Hall

A native of Batesburg-Leesville, SC, Timothy earned his BS in Sport Administration and MEd in Student Personnel Services from the University of South Carolina.  He and his wife Jenny became involved with the Down syndrome community when their oldest child Jordan was born 22 years ago.  The Hall family participated in their first Buddy Walk in 2004.  He then became a Support Parent through Family Connection of South Carolina.  He assisted in bringing the first Buddy Walk to the CSRA in 2008, and has been involved in the planning, promotion, and operation of Buddy Walks since then.  He has served on the board of the Upside of Downs of Aiken since 2011.   He has spoken to various groups about Down syndrome and the Buddy Walk.  He served on the planning committee for the SC Down Syndrome Conference from 2014-2016 and presented “Be Rational and Let Your Child be Independent” at the 2015 SC Down Syndrome Conference.
Professionally, Timothy is the Associate Athletic Director of Internal Operations – Compliance at the University of South Carolina Aiken.  In addition to his compliance duties during his time at USC Aiken he has been involved with game management for regular season and post season events, various fund-raising events, the planning and operation of the Third Leg of the Aiken Triple Crown, the planning and operation of various internal and external events held at the USC Aiken Convocation Center and teaching a first-year seminar course.

Wendy Schilling

Wendy is a Certified Special Education Teacher with 24 years in education working with individuals ranging from 4-21 years of age, including individuals with Down Syndrome at each age level in the education system. She has extensive experience working with individuals with learning disabilities. Her experience spans various types of demographics including multiple school districts, residential school, and home-based services.
Ms. Schilling has a BA in Psychology, a BA in Special Education, and a Master in Special Education.

Stevie Rodriguez

Stevie is mom to Remington Speed, 11 years old. She and her family moved to Evans, Georgia 4 years ago for her husband, Vincent, who is a Nuclear Engineer at Savannah River Nuclear Lab. Before that, they lived in Washington DC, Raleigh, NC, Houston, TX and Colorado Springs, CO. She has had experience with multiple resources available such as GiGi’s Playhouse, Down Syndrome Clinics at hospitals, and local DS organizations that were “honestly some of the most amazing resources I could’ve ever asked for”. Stevie wishes to serve her community to advocate and encourage resources like Gigi’s Playhouse in our community while helping create resources for new families. She is Vice-President of Upside of Downs, Augusta and follows online organization - Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network (DSDN). Professionally, she is a funeral director and enjoys spending time with the family dog, Madam Kurie and watching hockey - Go Canes!

Linda Vitacco

Linda was born and raised in Pennsylvania. She served in the United States Marine Corps, primarily at Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Linda graduated with a BA from George Mason University and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Argosy University in Arlington, Virginia. Linda is married with two children, Christian and Amelia. Her wonderful daughter, Amelia, was born with Down Syndrome. Since that time, Linda has been active in the special needs community and enjoys connecting with other families.  Linda and her family currently live in the Augusta, Georgia area.