Board of Managers
Chet Danto, Treasurer
Chet Danto is a Senior Analyst with Lattimore, Black, Morgan, & Cain’s (LBMC) Transaction Advisory Services group. Prior to his time working in mergers and acquisitions, Chet provided technical accounting services to companies in numerous industries for nearly five years. During that time, he gained experience working with clients in various nonprofit sectors and became an expert in nonprofit accounting.
Chet is a Nashville transplant, originally from Houston, Texas, who has experience in forming, running, and growing nonprofit organizations. He received his B.A. in Sports Management from the University of Texas at Austin and his Master’s of Science in Accountancy from Wake Forest University. He is a licensed certified public accountant in Tennessee and is a member of the AICPA and TSCPA. He is an avid hockey player and enjoys playing golf on the weekend.
Gerd Peters, President
Gerd Peters has over 20 years of leadership in the healthcare industry with experience in operations, strategic partnerships and business development in various inpatient and ambulatory care settings. Finding she excelled in business strategy and innovation, she has successfully led teams in both operations and business development roles, most recently as AVP Strategic Initiatives and Business Development at Kindred Healthcare, RVP of Business Development at RestorixHealth and currently as Executive Director of the Southeast Region at naviHealth (an Optum Solutions company) managing value based care strategies with health system and health plan partners. Over the years, Gerd has volunteered and held a number of non-profit organization roles, and was a founding board member of the Nevada Executive Women in Healthcare Leadership. Currently she also serves on the American College of Healthcare Executives, Programs Committee.
Gerd earned her Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan. She shares that she owes her inspiration and passion for healthcare to her sister and counts it an honor and privilege to grow up with a sibling with Down syndrome. Residing in Hendersonville, Tennessee, she is thrilled to support the growth of GiGi’s Playhouse mission and programs in Middle Tennessee.
Sharon Sabol, Secretary
Sharon Sabol received her Learning Behavioral Specialist degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. This opened the door for her to teach as an inclusive, elementary Special Education teacher serving children with autism, developmental delays, and other health impairments for four years. During this time, she became passionate about learning how to help children and their families equip themselves with resources and self-advocacy skills.
As a volunteer, Sharon started one of the newest programs at GiGi's: The Extra Connection. The program grew out of a need for new families to access information virtually regarding the development of their young child with Down syndrome during the COVID pandemic. Experts have been brought in to discuss important topics such as health and development, occupational therapy, play therapy, speech and language, and feeding therapy. Sharon is a graduate of the Vanderbilt Advocacy Project program at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. In addition, she completed the Down syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee’s Parent IEP Mentor program and remains a volunteer IEP advocate to local families.
Sharon lives in the Nashville area with her husband David, and their three children. All enjoy GiGi’s programming, in particular the oldest, who has Down syndrome and benefits from the GiGi’s and local Down syndrome community.
Emily Whitson, Vice President
Emily Whitson works as an Exceptional Education Mentor at The Arc TN, where she helps families understand their special education rights and navigate the IEP process. She is on The Arc TN Public Policy Committee and a member of The Disability Coalition on Education. Emily was also on the charter school application review committee for Williamson County Schools.
Emily has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Athens State University. In 2021 she completed SEAT 2.0 (Special Education Advocacy Training) through COPAA. In 2017 she completed the Volunteer Advocacy Project through the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.
Emily currently lives in Franklin with her husband, Brad and their three children, Eli, Noah, and Emmaline (who has Down syndrome). Emily enjoys cooking, reading and listening to true crime podcasts.
Courtney Wright, Member
Courtney Wright is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst with 15 years experience working with young children with a variety of speech and language needs. Courtney received her masters degree in Speech Language Pathology and doctoral degree in Special Education from Vanderbilt University. All of Courtney's doctoral work focused on young children with Down syndrome specifically studying language development and augmentative/alternative communication. In addition to serving on the Board of Managers, Courtney also volunteers with GiGi's Playhouse as program leader for LMNOP.
Melissa Wenger, Member
Melissa Wenger is a digital marketing manager with HCA Healthcare and a founding board member of GiGi’s Playhouse Nashville. A native of Wisconsin, Melissa lived in La Crosse, Milwaukee, Madison, Peoria and Chicago before finally making her home in Memphis, Tennessee with her husband Bryan in 2001.
When her son, Cole, was born, the family had access to incredible programming and resources in Memphis. When her family relocated to Nashville in 2011, Melissa was determined to find the same types of programs in Nashville.
Finding a gap in available resources for people with Down syndrome, Melissa and Cole’s teacher, Erin, decided that they wanted to create a center that brought together families and those that loved individuals with Down syndrome together. After some research, they decided to work to bring a GiGi’s Playhouse to Nashville.
Working alongside a tenacious team of advocates, Melissa and Erin campaigned to bring GiGi’s Playhouse to Nashville to fill that need. Together they organized garage sales, cocktail receptions, and eventually a gala to raise the funds and awareness necessary to open the center. Melissa is proud to have seen GiGi’s Playhouse Nashville grow from the ground up into the thriving organization it is today.
When she’s not working or serving on the board or Melissa enjoys yoga, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Katie Ingram, Member
Katie has more than 25 years of experience and leadership in civilian and military clinical practice, M&A and integration, field and corporate operations, organization design and turnaround, performance improvement, and strategy and transformation. Katie is currently an Operating Partner in healthcare private equity group, Amulet Capital Partners, LP. Her other notable engagements include serving as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Pinnacle Dermatology, COO of Team Select, a multi-state home health services organization, Senior Vice President of Integration and Transformation at Envision Physician Services and a Director of Operations with DaVita. Additionally, she spent eight years in the United States Army and Army Reserves, with a clinical specialty in Burn and Trauma and service as a Public Affairs Officer during deployment. Katie holds a MS in Nursing from University of Maryland Baltimore and a BA with Honors in Sociology from the University of Washington.
Residing in Brentwood, TN, with her husband and two girls, Katie says her greatest gift and inspiration for advocacy was growing up with a sister with Down Syndrome, whom she is also the primary support for in adulthood.
Richard Coure, Member
Richard Coure leads the Client Data Services team for MEDHOST Inc which provides a broad portfolio of healthcare engagement solutions nationwide. Richard’s team leads divestitures, new facility builds, and data conversions at MEDHOST but he has served in many roles over the past 24 years.
Richard is a proud Nashville native and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin where he played football.
Richard, his wife Kim, and children Cameron and Sydney have been a part of GiGi’s Playhouse Nashville since its inception. Kim held the role of founding member and President of the first board. Richard has chaired the golf tournament for several years providing much needed funds to support the Playhouse. Their 15-year-old son Cameron, who happens to have a little something extra, has enjoyed many programs at GiGi’s Playhouse such as Tutoring, Teentastic, GiGi’s Kitchen, and many more.
In his free time, you can catch Richard coaching many youth sports and playing golf.
Jim Anisi, Member
Jim Anisi is a Senior Vice President at Sierra Investment Partners, Inc, exclusively dedicated to Taft-Hartley (labor unions) Pension, Health and Welfare Funds. With three children and his wife Tracey by his side, Jim's commitment to community shines through his advocacy for those with special needs, especially his adult daughter with Down syndrome. Jim's passion extends beyond his professional endeavors, as he has actively served in various roles within the nonprofit sector, offering his expertise through volunteering, advisory roles, and board positions. Since relocating to Franklin, TN, from Chicago in 2015, Jim continues to champion causes that enrich the lives of individuals and families in his community.
Suzy Sonnier, Member, Donor Development Committee Chair
With over 25 years of experience in healthcare, human services, and education, Suzy Sonnier excels in creating results within complex systems through partnerships, innovative strategies, and focused execution. She is currently Vice President of Positioning and Organic Growth for UnitedHealthcare Community and State. Previously, she was the founding Executive Director of the Baton Rouge Health District and served as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services where she managed Louisiana’s child welfare, child support enforcement, disability determination services and low-income economic assistance programs. She has held significant roles including Chief Operations Officer for the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Deputy Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, and Director of Policy for the Louisiana Department of Health. Suzy holds a Master of Science in Public Administration from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She is a graduate of the Nashville Health Care Council 2020 Fellows program and serves on the board of Nashville Health. Living in Nashville with her husband Chris, Suzy enjoys traveling and visiting her daughter, Ainsley. She deeply appreciates non-profit organizations like GiGi’s Playhouse for their support during her son Jacob's life and is honored to be a member of the board.