CAREERS SUPPORT SOLUTIONS - Key Persons


Adam Handler

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Alex Hart - Treasurer

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Member of the Officers Team
  • Treasurer
  • Treasurer of CAREERS Board of Directors
He is a principal and founder of Hart Vida & Partners. With over 25 years of experience, Alex specializes in the areas of tax strategy and planning, business process improvement, and CFO advisory. Alex graduated from St. John's University with a B.A. in Spanish and his M.B.A. in Finance, and obtained his accounting degree from Pace University. Alex began his career at IBM in sales operations and accounting. He was a Controller for the N.Y. Post, and has been a CFO for the medical device company Vertebron. Alex is the treasurer, and an executive committee member of A.L.T.A. (Affiliated Lawyers of the Americas). He is also a member of the National Association of Tax Preparers, and is a contributing author and mentor at Latin Business Today. Alex heads the firm's CFO advisory practice and specializes in tax strategy and advisory to privately held businesses.

Alison Morris

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Senior Attorney With the Cuddy Law Firm 's Valhalla
Alison Morris, Esq. is a senior attorney with the Cuddy Law Firm's Valhalla office. Alison practices special education advocacy and litigation at the Cuddy Law Firm. She represents families and children with special education needs at IEP and Section 504 meetings, and represents families in due process hearings when families challenge the decisions made by school districts, many from underserved populations. Alison also assists clients in navigating the OPWDD system including helping with applications and appeals. Ms. Morris is a frequent lecturer on topics of interest to professionals and families on special education law, and she is also an Adjunct Professor at Pace Law School, teaching a course entitled Law and Education. Ms. Morris also Co-Chairs both the New York State Bar Association's Committee on Disability Rights and the Westchester Women's Bar Association's Education Committee. Alison is the proud sister of a young adult with special needs.

Allegra Palevich

Job Titles:
  • Valhalla Employment Specialist

Allison Scorca

Job Titles:
  • Valhalla Employment Specialist

Christina "Tina" Cornish-Lauria

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director
Tina Cornish-Lauria has dedicated her career to helping individuals with disabilities become self-sufficient through employment. She graduated with a B.S. in Rehabilitation from the College of St. Joseph the Provider in Rutland, Vermont and has worked with adults with disabilities since 1981. She has worked for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation as a Vocational Counselor and at Rutland Mental Health, both in Rutland, Vermont. She also worked in a community residence for developmentally disabled adults in Putnam County for Taconic Developmental Disabilities Services Organization (TDDSO). She then worked at Opengate, Inc. in Somers, New York for five years as head of their pre-vocational programs. Ms. Cornish-Lauria joined CAREERS in 1989 to open the agency's northern Westchester branch and was appointed Executive Director in 1991.

Damien Lawrence

Job Titles:
  • Carmel Community Instructor

Erik Martin

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Member of the Officers Team
  • Vice President of City National Bank in Manhattan
Erik Martin is a vice president of City National Bank in Manhattan, specializing in relationship management. In his 20-year career in the financial industry, Erik took on greater levels of responsibility in creating a customized banking experience and tailored financial approach, recruiting and retaining high net worth individuals and business owners at Wells Fargo Bank and Citibank.He managed and established a team of professionals to create financial strategies for short and long term goals for each client. Erik has a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Dowling College and is heavily involved in community outreach. He volunteers for White Plains Youth Football and White Plains Little League. Art Amler is an outstanding professional in the field of Human Resources and has over 35 years of experience in Senior HR Management with special expertise in Compensation and Benefits. For nearly 30 years, Art was a Senior Manager at IBM until February 2007, when he became Vice President of Compensation & Benefits at InfoPrint Solutions - a joint venture with IBM and Ricoh. Art began his HR consulting career in 2013, as the President and Founder of Amler Associates in Yorktown Heights. He is also Senior Consultant at Datakey Management Consulting and a Senior Compensation Consultant at MYHR Department, both located in Westchester County, NY. Art is an avid reader of American History, an outdoor enthusiast, and lives with his wife in Westchester County.

Ginny Fitzgerald

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Irene Thompson

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board
  • Member of the Board of Directors

Jack Mathews

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Jennifer Retacco

Job Titles:
  • Transition Coordinator

John Cunnane

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Karen Brown

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Karen Warren

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Kathy Shallo

Job Titles:
  • Executive Secretary

Kelly Corvino

Job Titles:
  • CAREERS Staff Member

Kenneth A. Gulmi

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Advertising Account Executive for the Examiner Media Group
Kenneth A. Gulmi is an Advertising Account Executive for the Examiner Media Group. He has a diverse background in operations, human resource management, production, marketing, financial control, and problem-solving techniques. He has a BBA Marketing Management degree from Pace University. He is consistently ranked among the top 5% of Xerox executives and is a member of the Xerox Malcolm Baldridge Awards Quality Performance Team. He's a lifelong soccer enthusiast and has been a US Soccer Federation Nationally licensed coach since 1996. Ken coordinates soccer games for differently-abled youth, including those who have hearing and visual impairments, cerebral palsy, and those who use a wheelchair.

Laura Barnett

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Mathematics Department Chairperson and Teacher at the Ursuline School in New Rochelle
Laura Barnett is a Mathematics Department Chairperson and teacher at The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, NY. Prior to Ursuline, she was a teacher at the Windward School, The Academy of Our lady of Good Counsel and worked as a manager for Verizon for 21 years. Laura holds an MS in Secondary Education, Mathematics 7-12 as well as an MBA in Finance from Pace University. In addition, she assists in teaching a Special Needs Zumba class on Saturday mornings. Laura is excited to be on the CAREERS board and aid in helping to advocate for the community.

Lauren Enea - President

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Member of the Officers Team
  • President
  • President of CAREERS Board of Directors
Lauren Enea Esq., President of CAREERS Board of Directors, is an Associate at Enea, Scanlan & Sirgnano, LLP. She concentrates on Wills, Trusts and Estates, Medicaid Planning, Special Needs Planning and Probate/Estate Administration. She believes it is never too early or too late to start planning for your future and enjoys working with individuals to ensure that their plan best suits their needs.Lauren received a B.S. in Business Management from Quinnipiac University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2013 and a J.D. from the Pace University School of Law graduating, Summa Cum Laude in 2016. She is admitted to practice law in New York and Florida. She is the Sponsorship Chair of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section Sponsorship Committee of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA). Lauren is also the Regional Co-Chair of the NYSBA Elder Law and Special Needs Section Elder Law Basics CLE Series for Fall 2019 and the Publications Committee Production Editor for the NYSBA Elder Law and Special Needs Section Journal.Lauren is involved in local Bar Associations including the Westchester County Bar Association (WCBA) and ColumbianLawyers Association of Westchester County. She is the Membership chair of the WCBA New Lawyers Section and the Treasurer of the Columbian Lawyers Association.

Lynn Newman

Job Titles:
  • Valhalla Employment Specialist

Mareilena Behnken

Job Titles:
  • Secretary

Mary Grace Ferone

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Melissa Strauss

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Board of Directors
  • Senior Director of Human Resources at RWE Clean Energy in Valhalla
Melissa Strauss is the Senior Director of Human Resources at RWE Clean Energy in Valhalla. She is a dedicated and certified human resources professional with knowledge and experience handling various human resource functions within multiple industries. Melissa has over 8 years of experience in the areas of HR. She has PHR and SHRM-SCP certifications and has a bachelor's degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and M.B.A. in Human Resource Management from Iona University. Melissa plays a dynamic role in the Westchester community through volunteer work and is actively involved in organizations such as the Junior League of Northern Westchester, the Westchester Human Resource Management Association as President of the Board, and a member of the Business Council of Westchester. Melissa is the recipient of the 2022 Rising Stars 40 Under 40 Award.

Monte Carmel

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Patricia Moore

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Phil Adimari

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Rebecca Appleyard

Job Titles:
  • CAREERS Staff Member
  • Carmel Program Coordinator

Rita Covelli

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Sandra Lauth

Job Titles:
  • Carmel Employment Specialist

Stan Kulesa

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Steven M. Goodman

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Advisory Board

Tanya Morton

Job Titles:
  • Carmel Employment Specialist

Vernal Ford

Job Titles:
  • Employment Specialist

Violeta Nikac

Job Titles:
  • Specialist

Yolanda Greene

Job Titles:
  • Secretary