Our Team
Board Members
Kim Guerrieri, Interim 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.
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. 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.
Jennifer Bustamante
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 a board member of such a wonderful organization and excited about what it will bring to the Rochester community.
James Catone, Board Member
James Catone, born and raised in Rochester, NY, alongside his wife Emily Catone, James is a loving father to Liam and Miles. With a profound desire to foster inclusivity and support within the community, he leverages his background in business ownership and his current role at a local ecommerce company that shares his dedication to Gigi's. Through his unwavering dedication, James strives to contribute meaningfully to the organization's mission and make a difference in the lives of those it serves."
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.
Bill Sondericker
Bill Sondericker is the President of Buckingham Properties, one of the premier Real Estate Development companies in Rochester, having been in business over 50 years. Bill has 30+ years of progressive management experience in the commercial real estate industry and graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in economics. When Bill isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his fiancé Lisa, his 4 children and 3 grandchildren and Lisa’s 4 children – it makes for quite a crew!
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.
Karen Sak, Board Member
Karen was born and raised on Long Island, NY. After attending SUNY Geneseo for her undergraduate degree, Karen stayed in Rochester to pursue her Masters of Education at St. John Fisher University. She is married to Israel Sak and together they have 5 children; their youngest being Lillian Sak, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome prenatally. As an educator in the Rochester area for the past 26 years and the parent of a child with Down syndrome, Karen is passionate about inclusion and acknowledging the inherent value of every person. Karen is excited to be part of the phenomenal team that makes up the Rochester chapter of GiGi’s Playhouse.
Robert Kotin
Born and raised in Rochester, I retired from the New York State Police after 32 years of service and am currently still active in the law enforcement community. Teri and I welcomed Abigail, our daughter with Downs syndrome, into our family in 2003. Abby has been a participant at Gigi’s since it’s inception. She has benefited immensely from the services available through Gigi’s, from social to educational and it quickly became an important part of her life. The dedication and passion of the staff and board members is the secret to the success of Gigi’s. I’m motivated to help provide opportunities for other families to experience the wonderful opportunities that Gigi’s provides.
Staff
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.
Kristin Housel, M.S., CCC-SLP, Director of Playhouse Operations & Speech Language Development
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.
Haley Everett, Program & Volunteer Coordinator
Haley is our Volunteer/Program Assistant at GiGi's Playhouse Rochester! Her love for dance landed her a role at Studio 19 Dance Company, where she is the assistant director for the special needs dance program. Haley has also been a key volunteer at GiGi's for the past 5 years and the program leader for Teen Tastic! Before joining our team, she was a teacher assistant for 10 years at Holy Childhood in Rochester, NY.
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.
Youth Board
Top left to right: Casey Corredine (Secretary), Olivia Guerrieri (Vice President), Nina Dimarco (President), Ella Rogla, Tommy Sak
Bottom left to right: Chloe Wormley, Marlee Pecora , Chase Diehl