Sherry Love has been a part of Giant Steps since 2005. She has worked with students in all grades from elementary through high school. She is very flexible while working with many different classrooms and students. Sherry is currently an inclusion program assistant, but has been a flex program assistant several times in her career at Giant Steps. She has been an extremely crucial piece in the success of two Explorers students' inclusion transitions, and she currently still does inclusion with one Explorers student.  Working in the field of inclusion can be stressful because you have no other Giant Steps' support in the home school; it is just you.  She is amazing in these situations and supports students effectively, while still constantly motivating them to achieve more on a daily basis.  Students respond really well to Sherry; we are happy to have such a committed member on our team.  

Karen Henderson worked in the telecommunications and cellular field for almost 15 years in marketing, business planning, and customer operations. She earned her BBA from the University of Michigan. Karen is a mother of two daughters and has been married to Fritz Henderson for 33 years.  She speaks Portuguese and Spanish, and has moved around the US and the world 13 different times.  Karen runs marathons, enjoys fitness, and is an amateur artist. 

Karen currently spends much of her time volunteering for different organizations. Throughout her career Karen has dedicated her time reading to blind college students, visiting nursing home residents with no family, being a member of the Junior League in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, volunteering at an orphanage in Sao Paolo, Brazil. She volunteered for seven years with Miami Children's Hospital Foundation (MCHF), served as President of the Community Council, one of MCHF's fundraising arms, coordinated food baskets for needy families with kids in the hospital, and organized arts and crafts projects for children in the hospital's psych ward, chaired their annual Gala in 2003, chaired and/or participated on numerous fundraising committees for her children's schools in Brazil, Miami and Michigan, and recently, The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, taught arts and crafts for two summers at Alternatives For Girls (AFG), an organization whose mission is to keep girls in school, stop sexual exploitation of girls in Detroit and give homeless girls a home, now a Co-Chair with her husband and Jim and Ann Nicholson on AFG's "Securing the Future" Leadership Campaign, currently a Trustee on Children's Home + Aid Board in Chicago, serving on the Communications and Resource Development Committees, Women's Board Member, Rush University Medical Center, serving on the Social Services and Religion, Health and Human Values Committees, volunteers at Hanson Riding Center, and is a Director on the Board of Giant Steps. Karen is a great addition to Giant Steps Board of Directors. 

In his third year at Giant Steps, Mike is currently the Program Assistant in the Transition Program. He has been working with the autism population since his sophomore year of high school and cannot imagine doing anything else.  Mike has had the privilege to work in many aspects of the field during times at various organizations such as Easter Seals, Northwest Special Recreation Association, Clearbrook Autism Program, Special Olympics (as a coach for various sports), as well as in home therapies and community trainings. He is currently serving as the Junior Board Sibling Committee Chair and has been blessed with the opportunity to provide much needed programming and support to the siblings of our Giant Steps students. Mike is also a part of our Corporate Sponsorship and Membership Committee. His heart is with all these children and adults, which is why Mike is currently attending College of Dupage and has plans to attend Illinois State University to major in Social Work. Mike feels very blessed to be part of the Junior Board of Young Professionals to include my experience and knowledge to continue to provide services and help Giant Steps and the Autism population.