Jim Martin, Executive Director
After graduating from SUNY New Paltz in upstate New York with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology, Jim worked with MICA (mentally ill, chemically-addicted) adults for Transitional Services of New York in Long Island, where he was ultimately promoted to Senior Case Manager. He then moved on to manage a group home for eight developmentally disabled youths at Pederson Krag of Long Island for three years.
Jim started working at ACE as a Job Developer for Project Comeback, where he was extremely successful and well loved. In early 2005, he was offered the position of Program Director, and, in 2007, Jim was named Executive Director.
John Ellert, Director of Program Services
John Ellert was born in Far Rockaway and raised on the south shore of Long Island. After serving in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969, John worked for 27 years in transportation for the U.S. Postal Service. It was during his tenure as a postal employee that John became interested in working with individuals with disabilities. John began this avocation by mentoring and advocating fellow veterans’ disability rights. These relationships soon expanded to include mentoring non-veteran fellow workers with disabilities.
John graduated from Richmond College (CUNY) with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology. John then received his Masters Degree in Education for Rehabilitation Counseling from Hunter College and became certified as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). John’s focus in graduate school was to address the functioning of individuals with disabilities. During this period John facilitated substance abuse groups at Beth Israel Hospital and volunteering at Fountain House (a model for club houses for individuals with mental illnesses) and The Epilepsy Institute.
John completed his Practicum as a rehabilitation counselor at ICL (International Center for Disabilities). He interned at ACE and as been our Project Comeback Intake and Case Management Coordinator since in 2006.
Deana Murtha, Director of Development
Born and raised in New Jersey, Deana has lived in different parts of the US and Eastern Europe, working in education, non-profit management, government and social service. She arrived at ACE in 2012 from Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, where she was responsible for institutional giving. Prior to that, she was the Director of Planning and Development at NYANA and taught English as a Foreign Language for over seven years. Deana loves music, travel, photography and playing sports.
Eugene Torres, Director of Finance and Human Resources
New Jersey native Eugene has a B.S. in Economics from SUNY Plattsburgh and in 2005, he received the Brian D. Scanlon Award for Excellence in Economics. Following stints as a legal writer for Binder & Binder and Operations Manager for eco-friendly jewelry company Ruff & Cut, Eugene made his way to ACE in the summer of 2011. He handles accounting, insurance, payroll and any other necessary HR duties. Eugene is thrilled to be working in an environment where he can help people in a direct and meaningful way.
Henry Buhl, Founder
Henry Buhl, philanthropist, community activist and art collector, was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After attending Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, he worked as a stock analyst and institutional salesman on Wall Street for ten years. In 1961, he moved to Geneva to manage mutual funds for Investor’s Overseas Services, eventually becoming the IOS Executive Director. He returned to the United States in 1972 and continued his career in investment banking until 1980, when he began pursuing photography and art collection, developing The Buhl Collection.
In 1992, Henry encountered a neighborhood homeless man who inspired him to create The SoHo Partnership, a non-profit organization to help other homeless and recovering homeless men and women secure full-time jobs and permanent housing. Later the TriBeCa and NoHo/Bowery Partnerships were established under the umbrella of the ACE (Association of Community Employment) Programs for the Homeless, now known simply as ACE.