Our Team
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.
Ulises Cartagena
Development Manager
Ulises Cartagena, a Marine Corps veteran and devoted advocate for access and social change, is a first-generation Salvadoran-American bilingual nonprofit professional with experience in development, administration, and marketing. Ulises served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom as a communications marine and spent time in Central and South America as a translator. He then went on to study addictions counseling, graduating from the Outreach Training Institute and receiving certifications in nonprofit development from Adelphi University. He worked in healthcare business administration for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs before moving into the nonprofit sector to follow his passion for community education, where he spoke against sexual violence and intimate partner abuse on high school and college campuses on Long Island. Ulises’ projects focus on supporting underserved communities, including fellow veterans who suffer from PTSD, people with intellectual disabilities, and more. In 2019 he co-founded Pazitos, a nonprofit organization that supports at-risk youth in El Salvador through the power of play and education. During Covid, he and his team of volunteers created a relief fund that provided four regions of the country with food and survival necessities. Pazitos now awards scholarship opportunities to college and high school students who face economic hardship. Ulises applied his skills at the Long Island Children’s Museum and Westbury Arts before coming to The Art Therapy Project. He is excited to be part of a team that works to make art therapy accessible. Ulises believes mental healthcare is essential and should be accessible to all, especially marginalized communities. His love and pride for his culture and background motivates him to do work that uplifts and empowers others to get involved in social change.
Rebecka Dionne
Marketing Manager
Rebecka Dionne is a professional designer, and aspiring art therapist who believes creative self-expression is an essential part of the human experience. She’s worked in New York City as a digital marketer since 2016 providing graphic design, branding, and web development services to a diverse client base of established brands, international nonprofits, and local Brooklyn businesses. Rebecka has over 11 years of training in digital design and is an Adobe Certified Associate. Her skills in digital illustration, content creation, 3D animation, video, and UX have contributed to a multitude of industries spanning non-profit fundraising, healthcare, fine arts, enterprise software, beauty, menswear, private equity and more.
Rebecka graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design where she focused on textile design/production, branding, and art-based entrepreneurship. After joining The Art Therapy Project Marketing Committee as a volunteer in 2021, she is now proud to be the Marketing Manager and have the opportunity to contribute to such a fantastic team providing an indispensable service.