Martha Dorn
Executive Director

Martha Dorn, a seasoned professional with more than 30 years experience in the nonprofit field, brings to The Art Therapy Project proven administrative, senior management and development skills. A graduate of Tufts University, Martha’s portfolio of nonprofit expertise spans local and national organizations including Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, Interfaith Neighbors and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Throughout her career, Martha has remained committed to delivering the highest quality support and services to individuals and communities in need of access and resources. Over the years, Martha’s achievements in special events and volunteer management have been locally and nationally recognized. In addition to development, fiscal and administrative responsibilities, Martha manages day-to-day operations and oversees The Art Therapy Project’s marketing and communications strategies.

Joshua Brancheau, MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT
Clinical Director and Art Therapist

Joshua Brancheau, MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT strongly believes in the power of art to create positive change. He studied philosophy at the University of Colorado, which helped develop his questioning attitude as he worked through his graduate studies in art therapy at the School of Visual Arts. During graduate school Joshua worked with adolescents and adults in the criminal justice system, as well as helped children with severe emotional disturbances develop a new language for their emotions. Prior to joining The Art Therapy Project Joshua worked with adolescents in an after-school setting, supporting their identity development and bolstering their self-esteem. Joshua takes a person-centered, strength-based focus when working with clients. He believes using this approach helps individuals gain personal insight and find the power within themselves to work through the challenges they face. Before stepping into his role as Clinical Director, Joshua was The Art Therapy Project's full-time art therapist working with groups of adult trauma survivors and underserved youth, while also running groups at two substance use recovery facilities and an acute psychiatric facility. Joshua wrote his Master's thesis on how art therapy could be used by community organizations to reduce burnout, and has presented his work with telehealth at the American Art Therapy Association's National Conference, the Virginia Art Therapy Association’s Ethics Symposium and for the School of Visual Arts graduate Art Therapy department. 

Jenny Asaro, MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT
Art Therapist

Jenny Asaro is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, as well as Registered and Board Certified through the ATCB. Jenny completed her graduate degree in art therapy at the School of Visual Arts in 2019 and has studied art therapy since 2012. Her therapeutic approach hinges on a trauma-informed framework to best support individuals as they move through catharsis, coping and growth.

Throughout her academic and professional career, Jenny has worked with a wide range of people to provide art therapy services: from children experiencing social-emotional difficulties and adolescents who have experienced trauma, to young adults coping with substance abuse and adults involved in the justice system. Jenny tailors her approach to meet her clients where they are at. She embraces a person-centered approach within the structure of a solid therapeutic space. Jenny also embraces the capacity of art-making to fill in the gaps between verbalization and the psyche. She aims to support clients in exploring the cathartic potential of art-making to address presenting issues, develop insight, support emotional regulation and increase well-being.  

Lydia Byun, MA, ATR-BC, LCAT

Melissa Cohen, ATR-BC, LCAT

Dani DeLade, ATR-BC, LCAT

Marguerite DeRosa, ATR-BC, LCAT, LPAT

Jill Geller, ATR-BC, LCAT, RYT

Karen Gibbons, MPS, MFA, ATR-BC, LCAT, RYT

Emily Hardy, ATR-BC, LCAT

Jessamyn Henschel, ATR-BC, LCAT

Effie Kline-Salamon, ATR-BC, LCAT

Lindsay Lederman, ATR-BC, ATCS, LCAT, LPAT

Randi Leone, ATR-BC, LCAT

Ingrid Mellor, ATR-BC, LCAT

Lesly Moreno, ATR-BC, LCAT

Margot Werner, ATR-BC, LCAT

Lauren Christian, MSW, MBA

Chair

Director

PwC

Lauren is a Director in PwC's Health Industries Advisory practice. She started her career as a Case Manager at a homeless shelter and has had the privilege of working for a variety of mental health focused non-profits. With both a Master's degree of Social Work, and later, Business Administration, Lauren is experienced in the clinical and financial aspects of healthcare and assists organizations in aligning value and quality. Lauren enjoys riding her Peloton, practicing yoga, and eating spicy food. Lauren and her husband reside in Callicoon, NY.

Samantha Commarato

MPS, ATR-BC, LPAT, LCAT, ATCS

Art Therapist and Clinical Consultant

Former Clinical Director TATP

Owner of Creative Arts Therapy Center

Samantha Commarato MPS ATR-BC LPAT LCAT ATCS is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist and Clinical Consultant in New Jersey and New York and has worked with clients in various areas of the field of Art Therapy for over 20 years. Sam completed graduate studies in art therapy at the School of Visual Arts in 2005 and has been a course instructor in the SVA graduate Art Therapy program. With a passion for clinical program development and increasing organizational focus on client-centered practice, Sam has held several leadership and administrative roles, including formerly Clinical Director of The Art Therapy Project.

With a primary focus on youth and teens in her private practice in Montclair, NJ, Sam finds an integration of principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the ACT model to be helpful in developing mindful awareness and in empowering clients with tools to manage and master emotion and behavior. She aims to guide her clients through a meaningful creative process while providing education and skills training related to targeted goals. Sam has found that there are unexpected links between cognitive therapies and Art Therapy and hopes to continue to bridge the two languages through practice, research, and continued education.

When out of the office, Sam enjoys drawing, cooking, and Peloton.

Analisa Dillingham

Partner

Latham & Watkins

Analisa Dillingham is a Partner at Latham & Watkins focusing on all aspects of insurance regulatory matters, including formations, licensing, investments, reinsurance and governance issues. She has provided The Art Therapy Project with pro bono legal support since its formation as a nonprofit organization. Analisa graduated from Florida State University and earned her JD at Villanova University School of Law.

Diane L. Duckler
Co-Chair of Development & Marketing Committee

Former SVP Account Service
MSW.ARS Research

Diane Duckler spent most of her career in marketing, specifically branding and advertising research, working with a broad range of domestic and global clients. One of her primary responsibilities was to deliver presentations to upper management to provide actionable recommendations and next steps in the marketing process. She has served on the Advisory Council since 2014 providing assistance with our marketing and fundraising efforts and is Co-Chair of the Marketing Committee and annual fundraising event. Diane also coaches abused women through a variety of volunteer programs. She enjoys painting, biking, music and traveling. Diane and her husband live in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Grace Lang

YPLG Representative

Artist and Educator

Co-Director of Super-Stories

Grace Lang is a multimedia artist and educator. She is Co-Director of Super-Stories, an arts-based non-profit, and Makers Space in upstate New York. A deep understanding of the link between creative expression and identity development informs her work facilitating art-making workshops for children, often with a focus on exploring personal narratives. Before founding Super-Stories with her partner, Grace spent three years on the education team at Art Omi Sculpture Park in Ghent, NY.

She holds undergraduate degrees in Illustration and Literary Studies, as well as a Masters in Educational Psychology. She has been volunteering for the Art Therapy Project since 2018, creating graphics and assisting in fundraising efforts. Aside from making things, Grace loves reading, cooking, snowboarding, and hanging out with her baby, Otis.

Ally Lipton McArthur

Founder of herb-n-peach Catering

Ally has been in the catering and events industry for over 20 years, starting with a successful events loft in NYC before transitioning into full-service event planning and catering in the tri-state area. She has been working with The Art Therapy Project since day one and has catered for the past 13 years of TATP events!

Ally also created the cooking program at Camp Scatico in 2014. A project she continues to run and one that is very close to her heart.

Jeanette Reece

Treasurer
Senior Associate

Healthcare Industry Group

Alvarez and Marsal

Jeanette Reece is a Sr. Associate in the Healthcare Industry Group at Alvarez and Marsal and has more than 13 years of healthcare experience. Jeanette graduated from St. John’s University with a bachelor’s of science with an emphasis on Business Management. She started her career as a contract analyst at a
community-based health clinic, managing the finances of the government funded programs. While trying to expand her network, Jeanette was offered a position at Alvarez and Marsal and was able to bring her nonprofit insight to good use in various projects. In her down time, you can find Jeanette playing darts in her neighborhood.

David Rhodes
President

School of Visual Arts

David Rhodes, who received the 2007 Award for Outstanding Lifetime Service to Art Education from the University Council for Art Education, has been president of the School of Visual Arts since 1978. He is an active advocate for all aspects of art education as a Board Member or Board Trustee for several national associations; he has testified before Congress numerous times about public policy and higher education, cultural institutions and partnerships. The focus of The Art Therapy Project on art as therapy for veterans of the Gulf war’s female and male has particular significance to SVA; David’s father, Silas H. Rhodes, co-founded SVA in 1947 as the Cartoonists’ and Illustrators’ School, many students of which were World War II vets.

SVA’s strong support of The Art Therapy Project’s mission includes providing administrative assistance, donating space for The Art Therapy Project offices and an art studio, as well as making other SVA resources available for The Art Therapy Project purposes. An avid reader, kayaker and photographer, his favorite artists include Jackson Pollack and Claude Monet. David serves as the Treasurer of The Art Therapy Project's Board of Directors.

Val Sereno, MA, ATR-BC, LCAT
Faculty, MPS Art Therapy Dept.

School of Visual Arts

Val Sereno is on the faculty as well as Coordinator of Special Programs and Projects for the MPS Art Therapy Department at the School of Visual Arts. She facilitated The Art Therapy Project’s first women veterans art therapy group addressing PTSD and military sexual abuse issues.  Val’s extensive post graduate work includes the EDCAS program (Eating Disorders, Compulsions and Addictions) at the White Institute for Psychoanalysis and The Creativity Seminar at Harvard. She developed an international professional art therapy program in Avignon, France and has presented her research internationally and nationally.

Sarah Staller

Secretary

Business Director

Macy’s Inc.

Sarah Staller is currently a Business Director at Macy's in the buying offices. She has worked as a buyer for the last 12 years across multiple categories including handbags, men's sportswear, and fine jewelry. She graduated from Syracuse University in 2010 with a degree in Retail Merchandising and Advertising. Sarah joined the Art Therapy Project in 2017 as a Co-Chair of the Young Professionals Leadership Group (YPLG) and was elected as the Secretary of the Board in 2021. This year she has been promoted from the YPLG and added as an official and valuable member of the board!

Sarah is also an avid traveler and is currently on a mission to see all of the National Parks.

Nicole Turner

Chair of Nominating Committee

Senior VP, Global Tech Hubs Mastercard

Nicole Turner is senior vice president, Tech Hubs. In this role, she oversees all of Mastercard global Tech Hubs. She drives the development and implementation of Mastercard's Tech Hub Strategy, including partnering with People & Capability on talent acquisition and driving employee and community engagement. Prior to this role, Nicole was senior vice president, Human Resources for Digital Payments and Mastercard Labs. Nicole joined Mastercard in 2005 as the HR business partner for Law and Finance.

She’s an advocate of diversity and inclusion for women and POC in technology, and cofounded Mastercard’s first business resources group, LEAD -“Leveraging Employees of African Descent” to support the advancement of diverse employees at her organization. 

She holds a Master of Science in Education, with a concentration in Counseling Psychology, from Hunter College, and a Bachelor or Science in Political Science from St. Paul's College.

David B. Willhoit
Managing Director
Head of Payments and LATAM Event Marketing, Co-Head of Investment Banking Event Marketing and Global Head of Operations for Commercial & Investment Bank Event Marketing
J.P. Morgan

David Willhoit is the Head of Payments and Latin America Event Marketing, Co-Head of Investment Banking Event Marketing and Global Head of Operations for Commercial & Investment Bank (CIB) Event Marketing for J.P. Morgan.  In his role, he oversees teams of marketers and planners based in New York, London, Sao Paolo, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong and Singapore and is responsible for partnering with senior businesses stakeholders to develop targeted client engagement strategies and deliver best-in-class events portfolios.  In addition, he is responsible for overseeing global technology, controls, data and analytics for CIB Event Marketing.

David joined the firm in Chicago in 2005 as an operations analyst and moved into events the following year. In 2011, David relocated to London to lead the Corporate & Investment Bank Event Marketing Team for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and repatriated to the U.S. in October 2022.

David is a member of the JPMorgan Chase LGBTQ+ Executive Forum and was a former Global Co-Chair, New York Co-Chair, Chair and Treasurer of the firm’s LGBTQ+ business resource group, PRIDE.  He is a member of the Board and Chair of the Development Committee for The Art Therapy Project, a member of the Corporate Leaders Program for the Council on Foreign Relations and has also served on the Junior Board for Let’s Get Ready.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Culture from Wake Forest University and enjoys traveling the globe, appreciating and immersing himself in the world of art – visual, culinary, architecture, design and performance. 

Lauren Young

Chair of Program Committee

Senior Director, Index Governance,

Cboe Global Indices (CGI)

Lauren leads the Index Governance function for Cboe Global Indices (CGI). In this position, her primary focus is ensuring CGI adheres to industry best practices and regulatory standards. She is also responsible for establishing a growth-oriented governance framework while enhancing transparency to the market, maintaining an exchange-level view of market impact, and further developing a robust index committee structure.

Prior to joining CGI in June 2022, Lauren spent over 15 years in the Financial Services industry. She most recently led the Global Client Experience Team at S&P Dow Jones Indices. The team consisted of front-line specialists providing 24/5 support to clients regarding index data and delivery platforms. A secondary segment of the team worked closely with the Operations Group to enhance the quality and consistency of responses to client inquiries regarding index calculations and methodologies. Lauren joined Dow Jones Indexes in 2010, which subsequently merged and became S&P Dow Jones Indices in 2012. Prior to joining Indexes, Lauren was a transition specialist providing on-site support to competitively recruited Financial Advisors across the U.S. as they transitioned their books to Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Prior to that, Lauren was the Assistant Supervisor of the Client Services Team at Merrill Lynch’s Financial Advisory Center.

Ben Grobstein
Finance Committee
Associate, Alvarez & Marsal’s Healthcare Industry Group

Ben Grobstein is an Associate with Alvarez & Marsal’s Healthcare Industry Group, where he has worked since 2019. Ben’s work at Alvarez & Marsal focuses on advising healthcare industry clients – ranging from hospitals and health systems to health plans to dental care organizations – on their most pressing operational and financial challenges. In early 2023, Ben became a volunteer member of The Art Therapy Project’s Finance Committee and supported special projects with financial/operational analysis to inform Board decision making on key topics. Ben graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physics and minors in finance and mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis in 2019. In his free time, Ben enjoys hiking, running, tennis, and playing guitar.

David Wasserman
Founder and Chair Emeritus
The Art Therapy Project

David Wasserman spent 35 years in the financial services sector in financial, investment, operational and executive roles. He also served as an adjunct professor of finance at NYU’s Stern School of Business. David retired in 2010 to focus on philanthropic efforts. In addition to launching The Art Therapy Project, he administers The Jade Foundation, a family nonprofit, and serves on the boards of The New School for Social Engagement, and Common Good Partners Ltd.  David is a graduate of Brown University. While lacking any artistic talent himself, he enjoys and appreciates art produced by the many talented and creative local artists who display their works at art shows and fairs in our local community.

Grace Lang
Lauren Latella
Ally Womack
Skylar Scull
Clare Murray

Madison Goodman
Michelle Cohn
Sophia Raffetto
Sarah Goodman