Heather McArty
Co-Founding Board Member, President
Heather has 25 years of experience in the finance industry and is employed with INB, N.A. as Vice President, Branch Manager. Dedicated to serving her community, she obtained a Nonprofit Management Certificate from the University of Illinois Chicago to expand her knowledge in helping to establish and operate the 501C3 organization, Oakwood Area Food Pantry, Inc., where she has served as Executive Director and Board President since 2014.
Heather resides in Illinois with her husband Chip and daughter, Olivia. She is also a mom to Glendon and a Mimi to his three children. Her grandson Branson was diagnosed with CHD3 through gene testing, just before his second birthday. She is dedicated to raising awareness of this rare disorder through advocacy, networking, and fundraising, in order to support further medical research and disseminate information to CHD3 families and patients.
"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose is to give it away. " -Pablo Picasso.
Celina Britton
Co-founding Board Member, Vice President
Celina resides in West Texas with her husband, Cary and their 3 kids, Cara, Karsyn, and Eli. She is a middle school theatre teacher and active in her community. Her passion has always been to advocate and be a voice for her students, but her passion only grew when their daughter Cara was diagnosed with CHD3 at age 3. Her hope is to bring awareness to the disorder, further medical research, and provide support to families affected.
"Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be."- Rita Pierson
Emily Niepraschk
Co-Founding Board Member, Secretary
Emily, who has a BA in English from Brigham Young University, lives in Virginia with her husband and their 5 children. Their youngest, Jonas, who was part of the initial CHD3 research, spurred her interest in educating and advocating for rare disorders. Emily is busy with her family, volunteers at their local elementary school, and is currently the secretary of the children's organization at her church. She spends a lot of time at amusement parks with her roller coaster-loving little boy!
Abby Grothe
Co-Founding Board Member, Co-Treasurer
Abby lives in Iowa with her husband, Mark and their 3 children. Their daughter Elsie is 6 years old and was diagnosed with Snijders-blok Campeau Syndrome around 2 years old. Abby previously worked as a mental health therapist and feels passionately about helping her daughter cope with any challenges she faces.
Gerianne Benisch
Co-Founding Board Member, Co-Treasurer
Gerianne lives in Illinois with Craig, her husband of 26 years. They have two children, Claire age 25 and Colin age 22. Colin was the index case for the CHD3 research project. He was 18 years old when we received the diagnosis. Gerianne loves to hang out with Colin watching demolition sites, bowling, softball, and basketball. She is also involved with the board of Colin's Challenger League baseball in the summer months.
Christine Smith
Co-Founding Board Member
Christine resides in Colorado with her husband, Greg and their 4 kids. Liam is their CHD3 warrior. She currently works as Liam's parent CNA. She has 12 years of experience as an Oncology RN prior to the birth of Liam. They have a small zoo of animals, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 ferrets, 3 chickens and 2 ducks!
Courtney Broyles
Co-Founding Board Member
Courtney resides in Colorado with her husband, Toby, and their two children, Remington and Sullivan. Sullivan was diagnosed with CHD3 at around 14 months of age. Courtney is an active member of her community being the Vice President of the Cerebral Palsy Association of Colorado Springs, CHD3 research participant, active school PTO member, softball coach, advocate for inclusion and caregiver to Sullivan.
