our staff...
Bonnie Bessor joined Rebuilding Together Baltimore as Executive Director in 2004. Immediately prior, she worked at Associated Catholic Charities as a development officer for homeless service programs in Baltimore. She has also worked in housing and poverty advocacy organizations as a legislative advocate, community organizer, AmeriCorps program director, and volunteer manager. She began her career by serving people with chronic mental illness. She holds a Master's in Social Work from the University of Maryland. She is also a graduate of the Weinberg Fellows Program.
During her tenure at Rebuilding Together Baltimore, Bonnie has been instrumental in growing the staff, budget and services of the organization, tripling the budget and increasing the staff from one full-time person (herself) to a team of five. In that time, the organization has also expanded to include a robust energy efficiency program as well as year-round services. Bonnie serves on the advisory board of Baltimore County Volunteers, the volunteer engagement program for Baltimore County, Maryland. In 2011, she was honored as one of Baltimore's Top Neighborhood Moms and was also awarded Executive Director of the Year by her peers in the Rebuilding Together affiliate network. She is an officer in her community association and lives in Baltimore City with her husband Les and their rescued dog and cat "Iggy" and “Rosie”.
Jim Diel joined Rebuilding Together Baltimore in 2008 as a member of the CapacityCorps program, and was hired as full time Project Manager in August of 2009. Before joining the CapacityCorps, Jim served in the AmeriCorps as a carpenter for Opportunities in Industrialization Center of Washington. His service with O.I.C. consisted of new home construction for low-income homebuyers and weatherization of low-income homes in Washington State. Prior to his service in the AmeriCorps, Jim attended the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater for Sociology with an emphasis on Social Inequality, and Environmental Studies with a focus on Sustainable Institutions and Communities. While attending UW-W, Jim launched a successful student organization that promoted social and environmental sustainability on campus and within the community by utilizing the Natural Step Framework for sustainability. Jim enjoys snowboarding, reading, and long walks on the beach.
Amanda Malone Diel joined Rebuilding Together Baltimore in August 2009 as a member of the CapacityCorps AmeriCorps program. After completing two terms of service as the AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinator, she was awarded AmeriCorps Member of the Year from the Rebuilding Together National Office. In July of 2011, Amanda joined the Rebuilding Together Baltimore team as the full-time Program Manager. Amanda was born and raised in Baltimore, and is excited to continue working in her hometown helping homeowners and communities in need. She graduated from Cornell University in 2009 with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development, concentrating in Gerontology, Social & Personality Development, and Life Course, Social Context & Social Policy. Amanda has always been highly active in service work. She has gone on several community development work trips, including rebuilding trips to the Gulf Coast and a trip to the Dominican Republic with International Students Volunteers. Amanda Malone and Project Manager, James Diel, met at Rebuilding Together Baltimore and were married in October 2012.
Eric Park joined the Rebuilding Together Baltimore team in August 2012 as the AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinator. As a national service member of Rebuilding Together CapacityCorps, Eric has made a commitment to serve low-income homeowners in Baltimore for an eleven-month term. During high school, Eric was active in an education mentoring program called Teachers for Tomorrow and provided critical home repairs to West Virginia homeowners through his church youth group. Following summer coursework, Eric completed his Bachelor's Degree in Public and Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech. Eric hopes to blend his previous service experience with his understanding of urban public issues to make a lasting contribution to Rebuilding Together Baltimore. He is thrilled to explore this amazing city and grow from serving the Baltimore community.
Nyoka Pierce joined Rebuilding Together Baltimore in August 2012 as the AmeriCorps Service Coordinator. Nyoka hails from New York City where she attended Stony Brook University and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in English and Journalism. This is Nyoka's third term of service with AmeriCorps in Baltimore. She served her past two terms as a Construction Assistant with Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake (HfHC) where she concentrated on new construction, rehabilitation work, air sealing, weatherization and insulation. Her concentration on energy efficiency and safe, healthy building practices led to a career path as an Energy Auditor. As a certified Building Practice Analyst BPI®, Nyoka hopes to apply her training to the safe and healthy homes standard that is practiced here at RTB. She looks forward to continuing her service to the Baltimore communities she has grown to know and love, and in her new position, hopes to aid RTB in providing clean, comfortable and healthy homes to the Baltimore community.
5513 York Road 
