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Maryland Alliance for Career and Education Staff
Frank Luca, President and Chief Executive Officer of ACE, has more than 21 years of educational experience. He worked in the field as a teacher, coach and athletic director at the secondary school level and then served as the Program Coordinator for Pre-Employment Training and ILP for MENTOR Maryland. In addition, Mr. Luca spent seven years in Non-Public Level V Special Education and two years with adjudicated youths at risk in Maryland.
Mr. Luca received a Bachelor of Science degree from Towson State University and completed postgraduate work at the College of Notre Dame for an advanced professional certificate in Education Administration. In addition, he has extensive private corporate business experience including the planning and all phases of development as Co-Founder and Co-owner of Atrium Village retirement community. Mr. Luca is the co-author of Winning Way System STEP Student Transition and Entry Preparation Guide and Comprehensive College Entry Preparation Guide.
Ira D Greene, Chief Financial Officer of ACE, has nearly 30 years of experience working in the senior care industry. He began first as Assistant Administrator, and then spent 27 years as Administrator of an intermediate care facility in Towson, MD. He also developed and served as the Owner’s Representative for Atrium Village, a retirement community offering independent living apartments and assisted living services to nearly 300 seniors in Owings Mills, MD. His hands-on expertise includes planning, design, fundraising, development, recruitment and management of projects and facilities.
Mr. Greene received a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Psychology from Antioch College. While in college, he participated in a study-abroad program in Tokyo and worked 18 months as a Child Care Assistant at Linwood School in Ellicott City, an institution for autistic children renowned at the time for the innovative milieu therapy developed there by Jeanne Simmons. It is from this early involvement with special needs children that he developed his commitment to educating and preparing youth for future success.
Lydia Whitney, Director of Curriculum and Program Development for ACE, had 18 years of experience in teaching secondary English and language arts for students of all ability levels and backgrounds in grades 6-12 before moving to a career in professional writing. Her students consistently showed improvement in all skill areas and on standardized test scores. She is considered to be a Highly Qualified Teacher based on national standards and has served as a supervisor for student teachers and presented at statewide conferences.
Ms. Whitney has a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from the University of Delaware and has completed post graduate work in education, literature, history, the arts, science and environmental studies. She holds a Master’s Equivalency and an Advanced Professional Certificate in Maryland. She has written extensive curriculum covering a wide range of subjects for grades 6-12. Ms. Whitney is also the co-author of the Winning Way System Comprehensive Career Entry Preparation Guide, Straightforward Strategies for SAT Success, Comprehensive College Entry Preparation Guide, STEP Student Transition and Entry Preparation Resource Guide and the Transition Readiness Preparation Guide. In addition, she has written many Instructor’s Guides and Student Workbooks.
