Executive Committee

ACE is governed by elected officers and appointed directors, collectively referred to as the Executive Committee. All of the Executive Committee members are members of ACE and volunteer their time for ACE. The Executive Committee is comprised as follows: 

Elizabeth Ringas

President

Previously serving as both ACE’s communications director and Mid-Atlantic regional rep, Elizabeth loves challenging herself and learning new skills through volunteering; however, her favorite thing about volunteering is working with her fellow members and all the friends made through the world’s largest roller coaster club. She is on her way to experiencing her 600th unique coaster and is working diligently to ride all the wooden coasters in North America. In addition to riding roller coasters, Elizabeth loves to read, play German board games and travel, particularly to any body of water, with her husband, Evangelos, and three children, Calista, Melina and Vassilios.

The President is responsible for the overall direction of ACE. The President appoints all of the directors (with approval of the other officers), supervises the performance of the other officers and directors, presides at the annual convention, chairs the business and Executive Committee meetings, authorizes disbursements of funds, appoints the nominating committee for elections, and ensures that ACE's Constitution and Bylaws are met.

David Dragun

Vice President

David originally found out about ACE on a Discovery Channel program and joined in 1996. David previously served as ACE’s history and preservation director. In addition to being a roller coaster enthusiast and an auto mechanic, he enjoys hockey, football, auto racing and movies. David's favorite things about ACE are the events and the great friendships he has made.

The Vice President assists the President with his or her duties, performs such other duties as may be assigned by the President and shall serve as President until the next election should the President be unable to continue in office for any reason.

Jeff Niemiec

Secretary

Growing up riding roller coasters with his sister in the coaster-rich state of Pennsylvania led to Jeff joining ACE when he was 18 years old. In addition to being an engineer and an Eagle Scout, he also enjoys freelance speech and debate coaching and is closing in on his 600th unique roller coaster. In his early 20s, Jeff was a politician, and that experience helped him with his duties as ACE’s vice president. He loves gardening, visiting as many national parks as possible and camping several times a year. As a first-time new home owner, Jeff has gotten into woodworking, building items such as shelves, planter boxes and simple furniture.

The Secretary produces and maintains minutes from the annual business meeting and all Executive Committee meetings.

Chris Tilsley

Treasurer

Chris and his wife, Amanda, have been ACE members since 2004 when they discovered the club featured on The Travel Channel, which led them to participate in a week of riding roller coasters during that year’s ACE Coaster Con. Getting to know fellow enthusiasts is his favorite part about volunteering with ACE, and he continues to share his love of roller coasters with his two daughters, Nicole and Abby. Chris is a certified public accountant and enjoys playing board games like Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Merchant of Venus in his spare time as well as reading, video games and playing his bass guitar.

The Treasurer maintains all of ACE's financial records, supervises deposits and disbursements at the direction of the President, prepares ACE's annual budget and financial statements, and assists the President in all financial planning.

Robert Ulrich

Immediate Past President

As immediate past ACE president, Robert first discovered ACE when he read about a roller coaster marathon at Kings Dominion and Coaster Con I in the Washington Post in the late 1970s. Robert loves anything on wheels and volunteered for over 25 years with the National Railway Historical Society, hosting steam trips around the southeastern United States. Robert's favorite things about ACE are getting to know people and making friends around the world. Opening up to other perspectives is a real personal growth experience for Robert, and he is glad the club is so inclusive. After completing his term as ACE’s president, Robert looks forward to seeing how the new team keeps things moving forward.

The Immediate Past President serves on the Executive Committee after his or her term as President to help ensure a smooth transition for the next President and shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President.

Joseph Ciza

Membership Director

Joseph first discovered ACE while working in rides/operations at Visionland in 2000 and loves volunteering for ACE while continuing to improve the ACE member experience. His favorite thing about being involved is the friendships he has developed over the years because of being in ACE. He enjoys cooking, Disney and traveling with his partner and friends.

The Membership Director oversees the recruitment and retention efforts for all ACE members; resolution of member issues; recruitment and management of volunteers; solicitation and maintenance of ACE member benefits and discounts; and purchasing, marketing, distribution, sale and reporting of ACE merchandise.

Derek Perry

Communications Director

Derek first joined ACE with his parents and twin brother in 1991 on a roller coaster-riding road trip after unexpectedly being at a park the same day as an ACE event. After graduating from college with a B.A. degree in communications, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in DJ’ing and music production. Working with his brother, they have written, produced and remixed many songs, including their original songs that topped Billboard Magazine’s dance chart. He has been lucky to combine his love of amusement parks with traveling for DJ gigs and has ridden over 1,100 unique roller coasters. Derek is proud to be part of such an incredible organization and encourages everyone to ride with ACE.

The Communications Director oversees the management of publicity of ACE's goals and activities to new and prospective members, media, amusement industry and general public; coordination of media interactions; promotion of ACE and its brands and offerings to prospective members, media, and amusement industry; and creation of online content such as ACE websites and social media.

Rob Ascough

Publications Director

An ACE member since 1990 following rides on the Hunt's Pier Flyer in Wildwood, New Jersey, Rob later co-authored a book about the amusement pier, Images of America: Hunt's Pier. He is Vice President of a point-of-purchase display company and in his free time, enjoys traveling, classic cars, retro video games, museums, zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens, and is an avid fan of the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and New Jersey Devils. He also serves as Treasurer for the Wildwood Historical Society, and has been Editor of ACE News since May 2023.

The Publications Director supervises the preparation and publication of RollerCoaster!, ACE News and the annual calendar; undertakes correspondence necessary for the completion of each issue; and oversees the maintenance of the ACE photo archive.

Josh Brown

History and Preservation Director

A trip to Cedar Point in 1991 with his dad has turned into a lifelong passion for amusement parks. Josh later joined ACE in 2008 and has been to numerous events, conventions, international trips, and even had his parents join him on a few adventures as members. Preservation and history have been important to Josh throughout his life including becoming a Blue Streak Boy in 2005 when he started volunteering at Conneaut Lake Park in Western Pennsylvania. ACE has become a whole other family to Josh with the relationships he’s made throughout the years. Being around so many like-minded and wonderful people has become the most important thing about going to events. Josh is a dog dad to his Yorkee Macy who wishes she could join him on some of the ACE events. Outside of roller coasters Josh is a hospital Director for a health system in Cleveland Ohio and enjoys football, car racing, kayaking and long hikes through national parks.

The History and Preservation Director leads ACE efforts to identify, conserve, and preserve roller coasters; document and maintain historic collections, materials, documentation, photographs and records related to roller coasters and ACE’s activities and archives; research and promote the history of roller coasters, ACE, and amusement parks; acquire coaster exhibits, photographs, records and equipment; assist in the establishment of a museum and archive facility; and maintain and publish a census with characteristics, conditions, and locations of operating and non-operating roller coasters.

Javan Townsend

Region Director

Javan (It’s like Japan but with a V) discovered ACE during the pandemic and immediately became a member. Having grown up on yearly visits to Six Flags Over Texas, he was surprised he didn’t know about ACE sooner, but ACE has quickly come to feel like family. He knew the best way to get up to speed on all things ACE was to serve as a volunteer. As a volunteer, he helped launch both the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (now known as the Inclusion & Community Committee) and the Infrastructure & Documentation Committee. Javan loves meeting new people at ACE events and hearing the stories about their favorite coasters. When he’s not riding coasters, you can most likely find Javan catching a college football game with his family and friends.

The Region Director Director supervises the performance of all Regional Representatives and appoints Regional Representatives with the approval of the President.

Dan Jones

Events Director

Dan joined ACE after reading an article about roller coasters on the front page of AOL in 2000. He served as ACE’s registration manager for six years prior to becoming Events Director and is an assistant regional rep for the Eastern Great Lakes region. Dan shares his love of roller coasters with his wife, Alexa, and their two sons, Oliver and Caleb. Outside of ACE, Dan is a pharmacist that owns and operates three independent pharmacies in northeast Ohio, enjoys hiking in various state and national parks and traveling with his family. His favorite parts of ACE are the friendships that have been made and Dan is thrilled and humbled to be able to give back to the organization that has been such a large part of his life.

The Events Director plans and executes the annual convention and all ACE conferences with the President and oversees the processing and execution of event registrations for all ACE national and international events and other approved activities.

Aric Austermann

Operations Director

Aric joined ACE in 2016 and is excited to be helping improve the digital assets of the organization. While relatively new to ACE, he has been a fan of roller coasters since riding his first big one, Cyclone at Riverside. With a background in IT and web design and currently working for a member-based nonprofit, he hopes to use that knowledge and experience to support his role on the Executive Committee. Aric enjoys traveling, and his degree in architecture helps him appreciate the differences he sees in cities when he goes exploring.

The Operations Director oversees the management of membership records; the organizations’ information technology components, including systems, website architecture, development, email and databases; and supports the efforts with the implementation of tools and technology for the benefit of the club.