Agency Leadership

Marlin Livingston, MSW
President and CEO

Marlin Livingston was named President/CEO of Cunningham Children’s Home in September 2008, having previously served as Executive Director of the Florida Region for Kids Hope United since 2002. His previous experience includes frontline and administrative roles in residential care and hospital settings, including serving as a therapist and Cottage Director at Cunningham during the 1990’s.

With a solid background in planning and executing behavioral health initiatives, Marlin is a hands-on manager with highly developed negotiation skills and experience cultivating strategic business partnerships, budgeting, and financial management. Committed to team-building, he has focused his efforts on developing the talent of his staff and building effective training programs. A persuasive communicator, Marlin seeks to develop relationships with colleagues, staff, volunteers and the young people he serves.

Marlin holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Eastern Illinois University. A Delta Chi Alumni and committed Rotarian, Marlin has held previous certifications as a certified therapeutic crisis intervention counselor, clinical member of the association for the treatment of sexual abusers, and a Love & Logic Parent Trainer. After 23 years of service in the U.S. Army, in 2007 Marlin was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for his service in the Iraq War.

Patricia Ann Ege, MS.ED., LCSW
Vice President for Program Services

Pat Ege has been an effective leader at Cunningham Children's Home since 1979, beginning as a special therapies specialist and eventually assuming the role of Vice President of Program Services in 2000.

A collaborative leader and manager, Pat has written, "The achievements of an organization are the result of the collective effort of each individual." This approach has allowed her to draw on the strengths of her program team to create innovative programs and approaches at Cunningham.

Among her many accomplishments, Pat was instrumental in integrating the Circle of Courage model into all of Cunningham's programs and services. Pat was also a leader in expanding our community-based programs and directed the creation of CIRCLE Academy, our therapeutic special education school, in 1998.

Pat holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Masters of Science in Education from Eastern Illinois University, and a Bachelors of Science in Recreation and Park Administration from Illinois State University. She is a certified school social worker and a licensed clinical social worker, a Professional-Level Therapeutic Crisis Intervention instructor, Red Cross instructor and trained COA and EAGLE peer reviewer.

Daniel Holmer
Vice President for Finance and Operations
Dan Holmer became Cunningham's Vice President of Finance and Operations in 1992, joining the agency with eleven years of administrative experience at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), and four years of direct care experience at the Adler Zone Center, a residential mental health treatment center.

As Vice President of Finance and Operations, Dan is responsible for overseeing Cunningham's finance, human resources, information technology, maintenance, and housekeeping departments. His expert handling of budgetary processes and facilities planning have allowed Cunningham to maintain our financial stability and grow our physical resources despite rocky budget years at the State and Federal levels.

Dan holds a BA in Psychology from Wabash College, and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois. His current community service activities include serving as a basketball coach in the Champaign public schools and participating on the Building and Grounds Committee for Champaign's St. Matthew's school.

Cloydia Hill Larimore, CFRE
Vice President for Development
Cloydia Hill Larimore joined Cunningham in 1990 as our first director of development. Cloydia has applied her 20 years of experience in retailing, marketing and advertising to develop the church and community relations, marketing and fundraising program for Cunningham. Through the work of the Public Relations, Development and Marketing(PRDM) Department, Cunningham is able to depend on over $1,100,000 in annual charitable support to sustain the high quality of our programs.

Cloydia works with the Board of Directors and Foundation Board to raise friends and funds for Cunningham. Cloydia successfully directed Cunningham's first capital campaign in 1994. This $1 million campaign funded the construction of the Kendall Gill Community Group Home. In 2003, we launched a $15 million capital campaign to construct a new Residential and Clinical Services building, build our chapel and spiritual life center and generate endowment funds for future phases of the master campus plan.

Cloydia has been a Certified Fund Raising Executive(CFRE)since 1994 and holds a Masters in Advertising and a Bachelors of English from the University of Illinois. She has served as President of the East Central Illinois Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Cloydia is an Educational Surrogate for the Illinois State Board of Education and a member of the Kiwanis Club of Champaign County. Her past service includes being a licensed foster parent, president of the Public Relations, Development and Marketing Section of the United Methodist Association and past membership on the Boards of Directors of A Woman's Fund and LW's Place. Cloydia currently serves on the EAGLE Accreditation Committee of the United Methodist Association.

Directors of Programs

Cindy L. Baumann, LCSW
Director of Residential and Clinical Services
Cindy Baumann became Director of Residential and Clinical Services in 2007, having joined the agency as Assistant Director of Residential Services in 2002. Prior to joining the staff of Cunningham, Cindy possessed seventeen years of experience in the fields of education and social work. She has been a teacher, a school social worker, a clinical director and therapist in private practice, working for organizations including the Individual Advocacy Group in Kankakee, Illinois and the Kankakee and Morton Grove, Illinois School Districts.

Cindy Holds a MSW from the University of Illinois at Chicigo and earned her LCSSW certificate in 2003. She also holds a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois, with a Type 09 Learning Behavior Specialist Certificate. Describing her philosophy and goals for her work as Director of Residential and Clinical Services, Cindy has said, “The clients we serve here at Cunningham are very special, precious people. My philosophy is that everything we do requires us to keep these children and youth's current and future needs in mind each and every day. We will have these clients for such a brief time in their lives, that our ability to impact and create the opportunity for growth has to be swift and purposeful.”

Linda Fox, M.Ed.
Director of Education - CIRCLE Academy
Linda Fox became Director of CIRCLE Academy in 2006, having worked as a special education teacher at CIRCLE from 1998-2005. Linda’s classroom experience includes seven years of work at the high school level with student teaching and teaching assistant experience at the elementary and middle school levels. Linda holds a Bachelors in Economics from Illinois State University, a Masters in Special Education from Illinois State, and an Educational Administration Certificate with coursework at the University of Illinois and Eastern Illinois University. Prior to coming to CIRCLE, she worked in the financial field and spent three years as a substitute teacher and teachers assistant at Cunningham’s Winfred Gerber School. At Gerber, she discovered her inherent talents in working with children and youth with emotional, behavioral and learning disabilities and resolved to become a special education teacher.

Linda’s philosophy of special education is to be “Committed to empowering youth to become lifelong learners and productive citizens. Determined to provide opportunities for youth to develop the keys for their success. Youth must become self aware, knowledge driven, goal-oriented, resourceful and strategic learners.” Her commitment to putting kids’ needs first includes working collaboratively with families to identify and provide the most effective services possible. Linda’s priorities at CIRCLE include developing a greater school-wide focus on reading, maximizing the effectiveness of the school’s new library and computer lab, and building on current evaluation efforts to continually improve and grow CIRCLE’s programs. The goal of these efforts is to help students identify the issues that create barriers to their learning and growth, and put strategies in place to make positive changes in their lives.

Shawn Peterson, M.A., MSW, Director of Quality Improvement
Shawn Peterson joined Cunningham's staff in 1991, and became our Quality Improvement Coordinator when the position was created in 1998. In her current role, Shawn works to ensure the effectiveness, responsiveness, and continuous improvement of Cunningham programs through ongoing programmatic evaluation. Shawn's responsibilities include collecting and analyzing data and developing accurate measurements of client outcomes. She also plays a key role in gathering information for agency reviews and accreditation, and ensuring agency compliance with state and federal regulations. Shawn holds Masters degrees in Psychology and Social Work from the University of Illinois.

Dale Petre, MSW, Director of Community Services
Dale has been working with troubled kids since 1976, when he and his wife served as House Parents at Teen Ranch in Marlette, Michigan. Dale was named Director of Community Services in 2004, bringing 15 years of management experience in a variety of clinical settings including residential treatment and foster care programs. Dale holds an MSW from Michigan State University and a BS from Illinois State University.

Dale is responsible for overseeing the agency's foster care and independent living programs. About his role at the agency, he says, "at Cunningham, all the pieces seem to be in place. It's really an ideal situation to walk into a program that has stability, a solid reputation, and good people I feel very blessed to take on the leadership of such a quality team."

Shawna L. Scherer, M. Ed.
Director of Education - Winfred Gerber School

Shawna Scherer became Director of Gerber School in 2007, having previously worked at Cunningham as CIRCLE Academy teacher from 1997-2000. After two years as a special education language arts/reading teacher at Columbia Middle School in Champaign, IL, Shawna took a   position with  Urbana School District #116, where she worked with the Director and Assistant Director of Special Education to develop and refine district-wide programs for students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities (E/BD). During this time Shawna also served as the Extended School Year Coordinator, overseeing a five-week district-wide summer school program for special education students.

Shawna holds a M.Ed. in Education, Organization and Leadership from the University of Illinois and holds a Type 75: Administrative Certificate. Prior to that, she received her B.S.Ed. in Special Education from Illinois State University, holding a Type 03 and 09: Learning Behavior Specialist I Certificate. She is trained and/or certified in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, Choice Language Therapy, AIMS Web, Write Traits, Balanced Literacy, Response to Intervention (RTI), Explosive Child, and Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS). As Director of Gerber School, Shawna seeks to further align her students' educational and vocational preparation with the expectations of the Urbana School District. Her priorities include "increasing our students' access to quality, research-based curriculum and continuing to work toward providing students the skills they need to be independent adults."

Area Leadership

Barbara Alsup, M.Ed., MSW, Foster Care Recruitment and Licensing Specialist
Barb Alsup joined Cunningham as Associate Director of Foster Care in 1997, and today brings 20 years of experience to the role overseeing the agency's Specialized Foster Care program, Barb is involved in the recruitment, training, and support of foster parents and supervision of clinical services to foster children in our care. Barb holds degrees in Social Work and Education from the University of Illinois, and a Bachelor's in Elementary Education from Eastern Illinois University. She is a member and has served as Chapter Secretary of the Foster Family-based Treatment Association.

Melanie Bailey, M.Ed., RPT, LCPC, Intake/Admission Coordinator
Melanie Bailey has been a Cunningham staff member since joining the agency as a Clinical Caseworker in 1995. In 2000, Melanie joined the Intake/Admissions department as the Intake Assistant, and became the Intake/Admission Coordinator in 2002. Melanie is responsible for screening potential clients to determine their appropriateness for our residential and community-based programs. She also coordinates the agency's on-call system and serves as an information resource for referring agencies and parents/guardians who are seeking services for a child or youth. Melanie is a registered play therapist, a member and former Treasurer of the Illinois Association of Play Therapy, and a member of the International Association of Play Therapy.

Angela M. Bertauski-Pierce, LCSW, Associate Director, Independent Living Opportunities
Angie Bertauski-Pierce joined the staff of Cunningham's Pregnant and Parenting Teens (PPT) program in 1998, and became Associate Director of the Independent Living Opportunities program in 2004. She holds an MSW from the University of Illinois, and a Bachelors of Science in Social Work. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Angie's counseling background serves her well in leading a program that provides support, structure, and encouragement to young people as they make the transition into adulthood. Angie is a mother of two small children, and enjoys sharing and learning from other young mothers in the PPT program.

Kelligay King Crede, MDiv, Chaplain
Gay King Crede joined the Cunningham family in 2004, where she currently provides spiritual support and services to children, youth, families, volunteers and staff across the agency. Gay is an ordained United Methodist Elder, and holds a BA in Religion from Illinois Weslyan University and Masters of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology. Gay's approach to chaplaincy is to provide spiritual support that is responsive to the particular faith and background of individuals, rooted in her own United Methodist tradition. In her words, Gay's ministry at Cunningham seeks "to proclaim the message that all people are included in the family of God and to help people connect with the God who already loves them."

Jessica Culp, Associate Director of Development
Jessica Culp joined Cunningham’s Public Relations, Development and Marketing team in December 2005. In her position, Jessica visits friends of Cunningham across downstate Illinois to keep them informed and help them find ways to join in our mission. Prior to working at Cunningham, Jessica was Director of Development at Eastern Illinois Foodbank. Jessica holds a Bachelors in Communications from the University of Illinois at Springfield and her background includes working for the University of Illinois Foundation, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Springfield and Millikin University. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Stephanie Brunner Lynge, Associate Director of Church and Community Relations
Stephanie Lynge has been a friend of Cunningham for many years, beginning as a board member and then joining the staff in 1993. In her work, Stephanie travels across the state of Illinois to share the mission and ministry of Cunningham with our many friends and supporters. Stephanie believes God's promise to each of us found in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope." She believes that the mission of Cunningham makes this promise real for the children and youth who come to Cunningham and is deeply grateful to be part of this ministry.

Robin Mathis, MSW, Associate Director of Foster Care
Robin Mathis joined Cunningham’s Foster Care Program as a therapist in 2004, and assumed the role of Associate Director in 2005. Prior to working at Cunningham, Robin was herself a Cunningham foster parent, and knows first-hand the kind of support that foster parents need and deserve. Robin also adopted and raised a specialized-level child and understands their special needs and the importance of consistency in their lives. Robin holds a Masters in Social Work from the University of Illinois and has been working in the child welfare field since 1994. She is a certified foster PRIDE Trainer and has trained some of Cunningham's current foster parents. Robin has also developed and offered the Reality Based Training for Parenting Troubled Teens program, based on her experience raising her own daughter. Robin also volunteers her free time at the Champaign County Jail where she goes once or twice a month to talk with women in prison. Robin belives she can receive no greater reward than making a difference in the lives of children and adults.

Rosalie C. F. Rippey, M.Div., Associate Director of Communications and Marketing
Rosalie Rippey joined Cunningham’s staff in 2004, having served as Director of Development at A Woman’s Fund, Inc. in Urbana, IL and Director of Regional Development for the New England Regional Office of the American Friends Service Committee in Boston, MA. Rosalie works with agency leaders to direct the writing and design of diverse communication efforts including the agency website, direct mail fundraising, newsletters, brochures, advertising campaigns, and grants. Working with graphic design and advertising consultants Rosalie spearheaded the development of a new logo and brand for Cunningham which debuted in 2007. Rosalie received her M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School in 1998 and B.A. in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Iowa in 1995.

Deborah Tiger, M.S., CTRS, Special Therapies Coordinator
Debbie Tiger has been a member of Cunningham's Special Therapies department since 1998, becoming Coordinator of the department in 2000. Debbie brings 16 years of experience in therapeutic recreation to supervising therapeutic recreation and music therapy staff for Cunningham's residential programs. Debbie holds a Masters and a Bachelors degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Oklahoma State University and is board certified by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification. She is a member of the Illinois Recreational Therapy Association, and currently serves on their Board of Directors. Debbie also serves on advisory boards for Champaign Urbana Special Recreation and Eastern Illinois University's Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies.