Honorary Founders

Amy Grant and Vince Gillare honorary Co-Founders of Challenge America. In 2009, Amy and Vince launched Challenge America by hosting a benefit concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.. Amy and Vince remain loyal and active supporters of Challenge America’s mission and activities.

Recognizing the need to coordinate resources and information on both national and local levels, Amy Grant and Vince Gill envisioned a way to "challenge America" by connecting military and their families to the resources they need within their communities when transitioning from military back to civilian life. On June 8, 2009 in Washington, D.C., Amy and Vince launched the Challenge America initiative, which is now thriving in communities across America along with its Challenge America Makers for Veterans (CAMVETS) program.

Amy Grant’s career spans over 25 years and stretches from her roots in gospel music into an iconic pop star, songwriter, television personality, and philanthropist. Grant has sold more than 30 million albums and won six Grammys. Vince Gill is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and has received 20 Grammy Awards to date, the most of any male Country artist. Gill is regarded as one of Country Music’s best known humanitarians, participating in hundreds of charitable events throughout his career. In August of 2007, the Country Music Association inducted Gill into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Founder & CEO

Houston is the founder and CEO of Challenge America. Houston has more than 20+ years experience in non-profit management, which includes his role as CEO of Challenge Aspen, an adaptive recreation organization with a 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator.

Houston, also the founder of Challenge Aspen, a world renowned non-profit providing year-round recreational, cultural and competitive programs to anyone with any disability, including programs specifically designed for disabled military, began to see the unfortunate growing need of injured military as the war in Iraq returned young men and women with severely debilitating injuries, amputations and traumatic brain injuries.

Recognizing the lack of coordination of resources and information between programs for all military across the country, making it difficult for them and their families to locate the services needed for a successful transition from battlefield to home front, Houston and his staff were compelled to act. The idea of "challenging America" to find ways to connect military with the resources needed to establish a "new normal" life was born, leading to the creation and June 8, 2009, launch of Challenge America, the initiative and the organization.

Director of Operations

Upon graduating from the University of Kansas - School of Journalism in 1997, Rhonda was immediately snatched up by Creative Communications out of Lenexa, Kansas, involved in graphics and video production for the Kansas City Royals Baseball Organization, concert arenas, sporting events and corporate productions. Several stints with Sprint and then GE Equity Investment in Chicago as Communications Coordinator, led her back to Kansas City where she joined Vista Productions in 2003 as an Event Manager.

Successfully coordinating projects ranging from the fairly straight-forward Board Room meetings to highly complex 14 full production events in 9 venues over 10 days, Rhonda has earned the confidence and trust (and gratitude) of her clients and colleagues across the board. After 12 years with Vista Productions and working with Evenergy on numerous projects, Rhonda joined the Evenergy team as Project Manager, project leader and client advocate, understanding meeting objectives and message, gathering meeting and production requirements, coordinating project resources (personnel, equipment, etc), and responsible for budget and communication. On-site and during the show, responsible for run-of-show, ensuring video, audio, lighting cues are executed, and direction of camera shots. A Project Manager, dedicated to each client, to work closely with the client, translating theme, message and content desires and requirements into the technical production and staging reality.

Program Director

As the Program Director for Challenge America, Megan proudly leads the strategic planning and supervises the daily operations of our Music Therapy Retreat program, manages our community partnerships, and helps cultivate a safe haven of art and camaraderie in our two online communities for Veterans and active duty service members.

Megan is passionate about utilizing the arts to create change and brings extensive and varied experience working in the field of music to her position. Prior to joining our team as a Program Coordinator in 2022, Megan worked as a freelance musician, educator, and arts administrator in Baltimore-D.C. Metropolitan area. She has worked closely and collaboratively with a variety of programs, artists, and venues to provide organized and effective administrative support, including flutist Chelsea Knox, violinist Sarah Whitney, Arts for Learning Maryland, and more.

As a flutist, Megan has performed professionally with musicians of the highest caliber, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Lyric Opera Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Syracuse Symphoria, Aternus Chamber Orchestra, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and more. Additionally, she is a Wolf Trap Trained Arts Integration Specialist and has taught flute, musicianship, and arts integration in a variety of educational settings, including private lessons, group lessons, and classroom teaching.

Megan earned a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance and Music Management in 2012 and a Graduate Professional Diploma in Flute Performance in 2014 from The Hartt School. She earned a Master of Music in Flute Performance from Manhattan School of Music in 2016.

Megan is located in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband and their two cats Wolfie and Berlioz. In addition to her administrative work, she maintains a busy performing schedule and teaches a vibrant private flute studio both in the Baltimore-D.C. Metropolitan area and beyond through in-person as well as virtual lessons. When she's not organizing a project or making music, she enjoys reading, playing board games, and attending her husband's concerts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Director of Music Therapy & Program Development 

Wolf completed his undergraduate degree in Guitar Performance from Berklee College of Music in 2008 and his Masters in Music focusing on Music Therapy from Colorado State University in 2013. For his graduate degree, he studied Neurologic Music Therapy techniques as well as the fundamentals of neuroanatomy and research design. Wolf’s extensive experience working with Veterans includes providing in-patient group music therapy at the Denver VA, writing and facilitating an Introduction to Music course for out-patient Veterans through the Denver VA, and a collaborative pilot program at the Brooklyn VA where 2 music therapists, a movement therapist, and a drama therapist spent 9 weeks with a group of Veterans which culminated in a performance that included music, dance, and acting. Furthermore Wolf has served populations including children with special needs, memory care, pediatric oncology, adult oncology, and people experiencing houselessness.

Beyond music therapy, Wolf is a performer and songwriter who has played hundreds of shows all across the United States.

Music Therapist & Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow

Kate Wasserman is a Board-Certified Music therapist and Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) Fellow with over 15 years of experience. She earned her BME in Music Therapy at the University of Kansas, and is certified in Trauma Informed Music Therapy (TIMT). Kate has previously worked at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR), an intensive and nationally acclaimed inpatient rehab hospital for people with brain and spinal cord injuries. Kate has also worked with children and families with cancer diagnoses at MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, and regularly serves children with autism and speech disorders at a pediatric therapy clinic. Kate also previously worked with military Veterans through the Veteran's Songbook Project, a community initiative by the Houston Grand Opera, helping bring Veteran's stories to life through composed songs.

Kate uses trauma-informed, relationship-centered, and neurologic treatment perspectives to serve our military Veterans, and is passionate about the amazing ways music can affect the brain, the body, and the whole person. Located in Houston, Texas, Kate is also a performing musician and songwriter. When not working, she enjoys making all kinds of art, attending concerts, and going to the beach.

Music Therapist

Tatiana Penagos MA, MT-BC is a nationally board certified, trauma-informed music therapist in High Springs, FL. Before joining the Challenge America team, Tatiana provided music therapy to Veterans with complex medical and mental health diagnoses, including PTSD and TBI, with the US Department of Veterans Affairs at The Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, FL.

During her time at the VA, she facilitated telehealth substance abuse music therapy groups in collaboration with the Substance Abuse Treatment Team (SATT) in Jacksonville, FL, as well as inpatient groups and outpatient individual music therapy in the clinic and telehealth settings.

Tatiana graduated with her Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy from Florida State University in 2015 and Master of Arts in Music Therapy from New York University in 2019. During her graduate studies, Tatiana served as the Music Therapy Research Fellow with the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine in New York, NY, providing music therapy to adults enduring chemotherapy while conducting research in surgical and medical intensive care units within the Mount Sinai Medical System in New York City. Tatiana previously worked as a music therapist at Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA with children, adolescents, and young adults who experience medical illness, chronic pain, and psychiatric disorders. Tatiana Penagos is proud to be working with Challenge America in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs Rural Veterans Telehealth Rehabilitation Initiative, providing music therapy to support Veterans with a variety of mental health and medical diagnoses within the VA medical systems across the United States of America.

Music Therapist

Susan Bock, MM, MT-BC has been a Board-Certified Music Therapist for 17 years and has directed our music therapy program for weekend and virtual retreats since 2019. She has adapted our in-person weekend retreat format into a four-week, eight-session virtual program. Susan has taught at the university level and has worked with children and adults through stroke camps, hospitals, and in her music therapy practice. She is a certified Master Gardener and lives in the Nashville, TN area where she is a member of several lineage societies and enjoys spending time with her two grandchildren.

Art Therapist

Sarah is a registered Art Therapist (ATR), encourager, and guide who walks alongside Veterans facing challenges and healing soul wounds by sharing the belief that art can heal. She encourages Veterans to approach mental health from a spiritual growth mindset guided by artistic expression. Sarah has served Veterans and their families battling Post Traumatic Stress, Depression, suicide, addiction, and transition back into civilian life for the past eight years working for the Finger Lakes VA Healthcare System Veteran's Crisis Line; Western New York VA Healthcare System's PTSD clinic and North Florida/ South Georgia VA Healthcare System Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department. This experience allows Sarah to see what is central to healing the human soul and how to encourage Veterans to begin living again.

Challenge America Songwriters bring diverse musical backgrounds and professional experiences from across the United States and beyond to collaborate with Veterans in our programs.

Each member of our Songwriter Roster is a highly skilled, accomplished musician who has been personally vetted to ensure both the talent, professionalism, and the heart required to work with Veterans experiencing PTSD and/or MST. Our Songwriters are deeply committed to giving back to Veterans, using their creative gifts to offer each and every Veteran a meaningful, customized songwriting experience with lasting therapeutic value.

Our Songwriters have performed, recorded, and toured nationally and internationally, earning recognition ranging from GRAMMY Awards to features in Rolling Stone, Billboard, global radio, Spotify playlists, and more.

Challenge America Community Artists represent a wide range of artistic disciplines and professional experiences, coming from across the United States and beyond to collaborate with Veterans in our programs.

Each artist on our Community Artist Roster is a highly accomplished creative professional, carefully selected not only for their talent, but also for their compassion, professionalism, and ability to work thoughtfully with Veterans experiencing PTSD and/or MST.

United by a deep commitment to service, our Community Artists use their creative gifts to provide Veterans with meaningful, personalized artistic experiences that offer lasting therapeutic impact.