Our Board Members

Kim-Arndt

Kimberly Arndt - President

Kimberly Arndt is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician who works for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services at Central Wisconsin Center, which is an intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Kimberly and her husband, Brian, have 3 beautiful daughters. One of their daughters, Alexa, has Down syndrome. Kimberly joined the GiGi’s Playhouse Board of Directors to provide perspective as a parent of a child with Down syndrome and to help advocate for inclusion and opportunities for people with disabilities. Their family is so thankful that GiGi’s Playhouse has a presence in Madison to support the Down syndrome community!

Sarah-Berndt

Sarah Berndt - Vice President

Sarah is a GiGi’s Playhouse superfan, frequenting the Playhouse with her daughter Addison, who has Down syndrome. Sarah enjoys the programming GiGi’s offers and the sense of community it provides for families. As a board member, she looks forward to being able to contribute her passion for inclusive opportunities and community advocacy toward advancing the GiGi’s mission, and empowering individuals with Down syndrome and their families.

Sarah lives in Stoughton with her partner Shawn, their two children Charlie and Addison, and dachshund Butters.

She is the Development Director at Canopy Center, another local non-profit with a focus on child abuse treatment and prevention, and the owner of Source DMK, a sourcing and manufacturing consulting firm with a focus on commercial furniture.

Brett-Bauch

Brett Bauch - Treasurer

Brett grew up watching his sister deal with many of the transition issues faced by those now benefitting from GiGi’s programming, but at a time when organizations such as GiGi’s were few and far between.  The organization is a gift and he is happy to be a small part of it.  Brett has over 20 years of experience in the investment and insurance industries and runs a fee based financial planning practice with a focus on special needs planning.

Brett has volunteered with various non-profits in the past, most recently finishing a six year term on the board of Wispact (formerly Wisconsin Pooled and Community Trusts) with two years served as chair.  He lives in the Madison area with his wife Katie, sons Sam and Jake, Annie the cat, and Lucy the guinea pig.

Chris-England

Chris England - Secretary

Chris England is a Madison native and has lived in Dane County for most of his life.  He attended Madison College before starting a career in Information Technology, specializing in desktop and application support.  He believes in the mission that GiGis’s Playhouse represents and hopes to continue using his skillset to advocate and support the Down syndrome community.

Chris currently lives in DeForest, WI with his wife Kris and his son Ollie, who has Down syndrome.  Ollie has participated in programs at GiGi’s since it opened and considers it one of his favorite places to visit.

Chris enjoys hiking in many of Wisconsin’s great parks and wilderness areas with his family, and loves sitting around a campfire whenever he can.

Fred-Swanson

Fred Swanson - Board Member

Fred has recently retired from public education in Wisconsin. He spent 29 years at West HS in Madison, WI where he developed and led a team of dedicated educators in the delivery of transition services to students with significant disabilities ages 17-21. He has been intimately involved in the pursuit of positive outcomes for hundreds of young men and women as they move into adult long-term support services. This exemplary model continues to this day.

Fred was also involved early in his career at HS Transition programs in Janesville, WI, Las Vegas, NV and Eau Claire, WI. He currently is the Director of Education for the Dancing Goat Distillery in Cambridge, WI. He continues to stay involved In the field through board membership in: Teamwork Case Management Associates, Dreamweavers Residential Support Services and GiGi’s Playhouse.
Fred is married to Beth Swanson a public school Speech Pathologist for 40 years and they have 2 adult children.

Keith-Ritsche

Keith Ritsche - Board Member 

Keith is a school-based occupational therapist in the Beaver Dam Unified School District, Lake Geneva and Milwaukee areas. He has 12-years of experience practicing occupational therapy between Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Georgia.  

Keith is originally from the state of Wisconsin and moved back in April of 2021 from North Carolina. Upon returning, Keith was hired as a mentor for a company called Building Great Kids which helps with the myriad of challenges that special needs children and their families face each day.  

He has worked collaboratively with that company to open their own private pediatric clinic called Building Great Kids Therapy. The practice specializes in occupational, physical and speech therapy, which is located on the east side of Madison.  

Keith has a passion for working with children and for creating self-regulation environments for children who are impacted by internal and external sensory processing issues. 

 Keith also served as the general manager and head coach of the Asheboro Copperheads, a collegiate-level summer baseball team while in North Carolina. This allowed him to develop expertise in leadership, sales, marketing, fundraising, team building, financial management, and community outreach. 

Keith is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association and holds two active certifications as an Autism Specialist and ADHD-Rehabilitation Services Provider. Keith currently resides in Oregon, WI. His parents, sisters, nieces, and nephews all live locally in the Dane County area. 

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Maya Greengus - Board Member

Maya Greengus feels with great gratitude towards being a part of the Board of Directors at Gigi’s Playhouse Madison!! She brings her own unique perspective towards decision making for what comes next for Madison’s Down Syndrome Achievement Center.

What has been known to be true with Maya being a young adult born with Down Syndrome, she has graduated from Madison College with an associates degree of arts and humanities. She loves to be involved in many ways of leadership. One of Maya’s attributes about life is making an impactful difference to many lives around her, especially those who have known Maya throughout her life. She is also a mentor herself as she was a part of a freshman mentor program in high school, now Maya helps mentor in her religion, Bahái faith, as an animator to junior youth ages 8 through 12 years old, also to teens who are starting out high school. Maya believes as a mentor that it’s important for individuals to have to have a good relationship with someone who’s a young adult.

Maya’s belief about Down syndrome achievement is that, “the more I give sunshine to many lives around me, it makes me feel positive knowing that kids get opportunities like this to build up relationships.”

Kevin

 Kevin Hayde - Board Member

Kevin Hayde is the Executive Director of Wispact, Inc. He joined the staff of Wispact in June of 2017. He had spent the previous 11 years as the executive director of The Disability Foundation, Inc., in Dayton, Ohio, where he managed a pooled special needs trust organization. For 35 years, Kevin has advocated for the rights and appropriate support services for individuals with disabilities. He has served in a wide range of positions throughout his career ranging from quality assurance; the management of a supported living agency; the securing of appropriate and adequate housing for individuals with disabilities; and the management of a Foundation organized to provide grants to not for profit organizations which were providing supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. He has served on numerous state- and county-level advisory and advocacy committees; along with serving as a Board member for numerous organizations during his professional career. Kevin is a proud member of the National PLAN Alliance, Inc. (NPA) and has made several presentations to national audiences including the National Special Needs Conference (Stetson), the Special Needs Financial Services Institute and directly to Pooled Trust and Community Foundations around the country. Kevin is a 1988 graduate of Miami University in Ohio.

Camilla-McKay

Camilla McKay - Consultant

Camilla is a midwest transplant who moved to Madison in 2016. She is the Executive Operations and Community Relations Manager at Findorff, a Wisconsin-based Commercial General Contractor. Serving in a cross-functional role, Camilla works with the company's leadership on strategic resources, operations, and communication. In addition, she manages the company's philanthropic portfolio where she is passionate about connecting Findorff's resources, both financial and employees, to organizations in the community. Camilla holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and History from Beloit College, and is an MBA Candidate at University of Wisconsin Madison. Originally from the greater Boston area, Camilla lives in South Madison with her husband, Matthew and rescue dog, Flora and can often be found running, cycling, or enjoying Wisconsin's trail systems.

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Amy Ulrich - Grant Writer

Amy lived in Denver, Colorado for 20 years where she raised a family and developed a fulfilling career in nonprofit management. Upon the passing of her parents, Amy moved back to her hometown of Madison in order to assume guardianship for her adult brother, Christopher, who has Down syndrome. As a sibling of an older adult with Down Syndrome, Amy brings a unique perspective to the GiGi's Playhouse board of directors.

Amy received her bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a masters degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University in Denver. For twenty years, she served as development director for a nonprofit in Denver, Colorado. She currently works full-time for the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Office of Crime Victim Services.

Amy and her husband Steve relish the time they spend with Chris, and do everything they can to make his life in Madison fulfilling and inclusive.  The addition of GiGi's Playhouse-Madison has provided a new venue for Chris and family to meet new friends and participate in a variety of fun and educational activities. Amy and Steve have a daughter, Alexis, who is married and lives in Los Angeles, California.