Our Team
Jennifer Bustamante - President
Jennifer Bustamante and her husband Eric born and raised in New Orleans, LA but now reside in Fairport, NY. She currently works for Merrill Lynch and has been there since 2008. Jennifer and Eric have been married since 2009 and they have 3 beautiful children. Their oldest child is James was born in 2011 their daughter is Emma was born in 2014 and Thomas was born in 2017. James was born with down syndrome and between him Emma and Thomas they have taught them so much about life and love. They love to travel, being outdoors and learning everything their kids were sent here to teach them. Jennifer is excited to be the president of such a wonderful organization and excited about what it will bring to the Rochester community.
Kim Guerrieri – Vice President
Kim Guerrieri was born and raised in Rochester, NY. She is a Dental Hygienist but stopped working to care for her family once her daughter was born. Kim has been married to her husband John for 12 years and they have 3 Beautiful daughters Sofia-9 Olivia-5 and Gianna-3. Gianna was born with Down syndrome and ever since she was born Kim knew she had to make sure all 3 of my girls were successful in there life. As a family they love to travel together. Kim is excited to bring GiGi’s playhouse to Rochester and make it a success for her family and all the families in the community.
Donna Rush, Site Executive Director
Donna has been married to Bob for 46 years and has three children and five grandchildren. They reside in Webster, NY. Her background is in education and fundraising. She has been involved in the Playhouse since the onset and is so excited to have the opportunity to watch GiGi’s Playhouse of Rochester grow.
Chris Tumminelli
Chris is the father of one child, Landon, who has Down syndrome and is married to his wonderful wife Debbie. He is passionate about helping GiGi’s Playhouse Rochester and currently serves as the Treasurer. He has worked with many non-profits in the Rochester community throughout his life including the Miracle Field of Greater Rochester and also is a former President of the Flower City Down Syndrome Network. Chris currently works at Harris Corporation as a Process Engineer.
Tom O'Neill
Tom O'Neill and his wife, Kathy born and raised outside of Cleveland, Ohio now reside in Webster, NY. Tom has worked for over 25 years in the healthcare field with companies like Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb and Hologic. He is now the President and CEO of Cognivue Inc., a local neurology solutions provider. Tom and Kathy have been married for 26 years and have two boys, Sean 21, a junior at the University of Arkansas and Tommy, a junior at Webster Schroeder. Tom and Kathy have been active supporters of Gigi's Playhouse since the very beginning.
Katie Bergeron Peglow, PT, MS
Katie grew up in Dolgeville, NY with her younger sister, Carrie Bergeron, who has Down syndrome. Katie’s passion for physical therapy began when Carrie was born. At 4 years old, Katie would help the therapists with then 6 week old Carrie’s therapy sessions. Katie began her career as a Pediatric Physical Therapist, focusing on working with children in Early Intervention. She is now the COO for the family business, Bergeron Companies, a manufacturing and retail company that specializes in adaptive equipment for children with special needs. Living in Fairport with her husband Matt, son AJ (born in 2009) and daughter Abby (born in 2012), Katie is excited to join the GiGi’s Playhouse Board to help make a difference for other families that have been blessed with a family member with Down syndrome.
Carrie Bergeron, Self Advocate
In 1976, when Carrie was born, medical help and information was limited for children with Down syndrome in upstate New York. When she was just 6 weeks old, she was the first infant to be in the brand new Early Intervention Services in our county. Peggy and Tim, Carrie’s parents, knew that they had to be trail-blazers to give Carrie every opportunity to reach her highest level of independence.
Carrie was main-streamed, now called inclusion, in her public school. She was slow at learning but worked hard to achieve her goals. After Carrie graduated with an IEP Diploma, she attended the local community college and received her Teacher’s Assistant Certificate. Carrie has volunteered in several different preschool programs. Carrie’s other passion is speaking publicly to share her story to inspire others to reach their full potential.
Carrie has lived independently in her own apartment since 2006. In 2018, she moved to Fairport to be closer to her sister Katie who is taking over the primary caregiver role for Carrie. Their parents are still involved on a daily basis but it was time to transition her. With her move to Fairport, Carrie was so excited to participate in many programs at GiGi’s Playhouse in Rochester. She is so excited to represent those with Down syndrome on the Board.
Madison Kaltenbach, Operations Coordinator
Madison was born and raised in Rochester, NY. She attended Nazareth College and graduated with a B.S. in Public Health in 2020. Madison grew up with her dad being an RFD Firefighter which influenced her to want to help people as well. After volunteering a couple times at GiGi's with her sister, Kelly, she knew that she wanted to be part of GiGi's team and be more involved with the organization. When Madison isn't working, she enjoys going to the Adirondacks in the summer, hiking, kayaking, and she also enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, Matt, family, friends, and her dog, Phoebe. Madison is so excited to be part of an amazing organization, and to make a difference in the Rochester community
Anne Babcock-Stiner, Board Member
Anne Babcock-Stiner is an attorney and a graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law. She is currently the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for PathStone Corporation, a regional nonprofit based in Rochester. Anne and her husband Jason live in Brighton with their son Elliot, who was born in 2010 with Down syndrome. Anne also serves on the board of Starbridge, a local nonprofit that provides services to individuals with disabilities, and on the board of the Greater Rochester Housing Partnership. She is also a former board member of the Flower City Down Syndrome Network. After volunteering with GiGi’s Playhouse for the past year, Anne is excited to join the GiGi’s Playhouse board to help create opportunities for people with Down syndrome to grow and to belong. In her free time, she has taken up knitting and is looking forward to finally finishing one of her many projects.
Morgan Wihlen - Board Treasurer
Morgan grew up in Fairport, NY surrounded by a large family. Growing up, Morgan spent most of her time at a local dance studio, Fitzsimmons Dance Factory, where she competitively danced ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop. Outside of dance, Morgan enjoyed DIY crafts, attending school sporting events, skiing, and spending time at her grandparent's lake house.
Currently, Morgan enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her dog, Brodie. Morgan loves to be outside, especially near a lake or ocean, hiking, and swimming. Morgan also loves music, cooking, travel, and exercise.
Morgan attended the University of Dayton where she received her B.S. Degree in Accounting in 2017. After her junior year, Morgan was an intern at RDG + Partners CPAs, formerly RDHB CPAs. Morgan joined RDG + Partners full-time upon graduation while earning her master’s degree in accounting from St. John Fisher College in 2018. Morgan received her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in June 2021. Morgan is also highly involved with the RDHB Foundation, a charitable foundation founded by RDHB CPAs in 2017.
Stephen Fornarola
Steve and his wife Nikki were born and raised in the Rochester area and now reside in Webster NY. Steve has been a fixture in the local finance community for over 35 years and is currently a Senior Vice President with RBC Wealth Management. Nikki Has been the Practice Manager at Walworth Animal Hospital for the past 25 years. Steve and Nikki have been married 27 years and have two grown children. Rachel 25 a CPA in Tampa Fl. And Steve Jr. 21 a senior at the University of Tampa. Steve and Nikki are new to GiGi’s but have served the youth of our community for over 25 years. Steve was a founding board member of the Bivona Child Advocacy Center and has over 30 years of experience as a youth sports coach and mentor in Webster.
Kristin Housel, M.S., CCC-SLP. Speech-Language Pathologist/Program Coordinator
Kristin has been our full-time Speech-Language Pathologist since August 2019 and Program Coordinator since September 2021. In addition to working at GiGi's, Kristin co-owns a small private practice and is a Certified Lactation Consultant. She has two daughters, Casey and Paige, who keep her very busy when she's not at the Playhouse. She coaches girls' youth lacrosse, loves to garden and be outside and adores her three dogs. Kristin continues to run the Amina Grace Speech and Language Program with several participants of all ages as well as strengthen our wonderful GiGi's programming.
Joan Gears
I graduated with a BS in special education from Kent State University
I earns Masters degree in Early Childhood Education from Nazareth College
My teaching career spanning over 30 years has focused on providing quality education to children ages birth to 16 years old with developmental disabilities. I have taught at Rochester City Schools, Mary Cariola Children’s Center and Brighton School District.
I take a lot of pride in knowing that throughout my career, I did my best to provide each of my students the education I wanted for my own children. I firmly believe, every child is deserves access to a quality and rigorous curriculum. Everyone can learn. I also believe that a child’s family needs to an integral part of their educational journey. It brings me joy when I get to see a face light up when they learn something new. Education is empowering.
I live in Honoye Falls with my husband Thomas. We are blessed with 2 sons, Michael and Noah. I also recently became a grandmother to Kennedy!I enjoy reading, gardening, kayaking and taking my dog Finn for walks.