CEO and president Dr. Angel Gray-Shah has a PhD in neuropharmacology and undergraduate degrees in psychology and neuroscience, all from Loyola University, Chicago. Before joining CTS, she did academic research on genetic and molecular mechanisms that underlie psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and suicide. Dr. Gray-Shah’s employment history also includes business management and service in the US Army. She was inspired to join CTS because both her brother and sister had speech therapy and treatment for their learning disabilities. She saw firsthand the positive effects therapy had on their lives. She has a passion for serving families and children, hiring and supporting superior therapists, and providing mentorship.

CTS founder Catherine Raack-Gienger is a speech-language pathologist with a varied and extensive background in pediatric therapies. She holds an MS in speech and hearing science from Ohio University, a BS in speech pathology and audiology from Eastern Illinois University, and a BA in speech communications and English from Valparaiso University. Ms. Gienger was the founding member of the Illinois Early Intervention Coalition, where her work was instrumental in promoting and establishing the Early Intervention services in Illinois.
Ms. Gienger was a member of the Illinois Delegation to Washington D.C. The mission of this six-person delegation was to report to President Bush and the cabinet on critical issues affecting the ability of families to have “Healthy Children Ready to Learn” before they start school.

She has presented on therapeutic protocols offered at CTS at national conferences including the American Speech Language and Hearing Association Conference; the National Women Infants and Children Program Director Conference; the American Health Association Conference; the National Rett Syndrome Conference; and the National Conference of Severe Behavior Disorders of Children and Youth.

Additionally she has presented research at local conferences such as those for the Illinois Public Health Association; the Illinois Speech-Language and Hearing Association; the Illinois Health Care Association; the Illinois Early Childhood Conference; the Women, Infants, and Children Conference; and the Fox Valley Association for the Education of Young Children.

As a company, CTS was a:

Recipient of an Illinois Department of Education grant designed to promote academics, self-esteem, and multi-cultural awareness in behavior-disordered and learning-disabled students through music therapy (1995).

Recipient of the “Innovative Practices in Communication Intervention for People with Severe Disabilities” grant through the Bureau of Child Research (1992).

Recipient of a “Families with a Future” grant designed to create informative literature and consultation techniques for use in public health clinics (1988).

At CTS we believe our work is all about empowering parents and helping children succeed in all aspects of their lives, including their community school or home school, social environments, daily living tasks, play for learning, and sense of well-being. They strive to see that each and every child who comes through CTS achieves his or her very best through being given the skills necessary to lead a productive life.