Jeanne L. Allert, Board Executive

Jeanne has an eclectic career history: from high school English teacher, to instructional designer, to technology director, to Internet consultant.  She currently owns and manages a successful consulting practice that serves non-profit organizations, municipal governments and faith-based organizations in their use of Internet technologies.  She is also an international public speaker, technical trainer, industry author, and has served as adjunct faculty for several universities.  Jeanne holds a Masters of Education degree and is currently on the slow road to pursuing a Doctor of Divinity degree, specializing in Urban Ministry and Ecumenical Relations.

Jeanne raised her own daughter as a single parent and knows all-too-well how critical it is to have “a village” help raise our children, She and her daughter are regular volunteers at a Baltimore City soup kitchen; participates in an Inner City outreach to women; is a volunteer for two churches; and is always mobilizing communities for charitable endeavors.  In her “spare” time, Jeanne is renovating her own 140-year historic home.

Jeanne founded The Samaritan Women and today serves as Chair of the Board and acting Executive Director. Her passion for TSW is to see the evidence of God’s grace manifested in the lives of every person who comes here.

Richard "Benny" Bienvenue, Board Member, Programs

Benny has 39 years experience working with young people: teaching, counseling, and developing rehabilitative programs. His skills include curriculum and program development, training, coaching, public speaking, and public relations.

Benny founded Our House, a one-of-a-kind, non-profit, residential job training center for troubled adolescent boys. This 140 acre school teaches construction trades by day, and has academic classes at night and has been given numerous awards and recognitions for its impact. He was in instrumental in establishing “Insider's Program“ for delinquent youth at maximum security penitentiary in Richmond, Virginia; he directed and managed summer police camp for 1,200 disadvantaged children; founded and was Scoutmaster for 13 years for one of Washington, D.C.’s largest Boy Scout troops. A sports enthusiast, Benny also founded and managed a varsity ice hockey team at St. Vincent College and coached varsity soccer team at Archbishop Carroll High School.

Benny is married and lives in Washington, D.C. His role with The Samaritan Women is in the area of program development and administration.

William G. Hillar, Board Member

Bill Hillar is a retired Colonel of the U.S. Army Special Forces and has served in Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America, where his experiences included tactical counterterrorism, explosive ordnance, emergency medicine and psychological warfare. He holds a B.A. in Psychology, M.A. in Education, a Ph.D. in Health Education, and an honorary doctorate in Intercultural Relations. Though he works primarily with law enforcement, firefighters, and other first responder organizations, he also teaches at colleges and universities in the areas of Human Trafficking, International Terrorism, Transnational Drug Smuggling, and International Crime.

His expertise in human trafficking, however, is more than academic. In 1988, while traveling with schoolmates in Southeast Asia, kidnappers pulled Bill Hillar’s 17-year old daughter off a train and forced her into the sex industry. Despite an exhaustive, multi-country search, her father was unable to save his daughter and she was eventually tortured and murdered by her oppressors. The recent movie "Taken," with Liam Neeson is based on Bill Hillar’s personal story. Bill works through The Samaritan Women and Compassion2one.org to advance public awareness and anti-trafficking efforts nationwide and internationally. Bill is a member of the United Methodist Church and resides in Maryland.

John McKenna, Board Member, Development and Finance

Born and raised in Baltimore, John attended St. Clement’s Elementary, Mount Saint Joseph High School and Loyola College, attaining a MBA degree in marketing and finance in 1981. As such, John attributes his success to the Sisters of Providence, The Xaverian Brothers and the Jesuits. As a young adult, John was active in the “Search for Christian Maturity” program of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, serving on several weekend retreat teams. He is a member of Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City where he served on the Pastoral Council for four years. John also lectors at St. Joseph Monastery in Irvington.

John is Vice President of Maryland Glass & Mirror Company in Baltimore. While raising two sons, John became very active in coaching baseball and basketball, stressing to young people the importance of developing life skills while having fun playing sports. John’s interests include playing guitar, travelling and sports. He lives with his wife, Donna, and sons Ryan and Matt in Ellicott City, MD.

Tom Yoo, Board Member, Programs

Tom graduated from John Hopkins University’s engineering program with a Bachelors of Science. For the past 10 years he has worked as an engineer for the State of Maryland. Relocation of the State office in 2002 to the area of southwest Baltimore brought him into an area plagued by heroin addiction, with rampant a prostitution trade that funds the addiction of these users. Through the efforts of his church, Bethel Korean Presbyterian in Ellicott City, Tom created HOPE (Helping. One. Prisoner. Escape) Ministry was formed in January 2005 to bring love and hope to the women trapped in the life-ruining grip of addiction.

Through bi-weekly street outreaches, holiday outreach events, and weekly meetings, women and men in the area are encouraged and supported to take steps to get free from the prison of addiction, through getting addicts to detox, then onto a 6 month to 1 year inpatient program called The Answer, Inc. located in Baltimore.

HOPE Ministry currently has owns and operates two rowhouses near Wilkens Ave. and Payson St., that provide for outreach, community, and ministry needs.

We are currently recruiting for additional Board positions.

LEAD VOLUNTEERS and STAFF

Christopher L. Spoonire, Director of Operations

Chris was born and raised in Carroll County, MD. After high school graduation he joined the military, serving over 9 years in the engineering and transportation field. He received an honorable discharge and continued his work managing in various construction trades. This led to his current position with the State of Maryland as a Maintenance Supervisor where he has oversight for 11 State buildings serving youth with special needs. His diverse technical and mechanical background has proved invaluable to The Samaritan Women as Chris currently serves as our Director of Operations. He is responsible for overseeing all projects associated with property and building use, expansion and maintenance.

Chris has passion for hands-on ministry work and has been actively involved with local missions committee, disaster relief in Louisiana and Texas, and helping other organizations such as Hosanna Ministry near Pittsburgh, PA. He currently attends Street Church, a weekly worship experience in the drug-and crime-ridden streets of Baltimore's East Side. Chris’ interest is in helping people grow in Christ through serving and mentoring. His strives to live by the motto “Approach each day as a mission trip“ and to help people believe that giving up is NOT an option.

Glenn Spindler, Director of Culinary Education and Food Ministry

Glenn started his career at the Western Vocational Technical Institute, hoping for a spot in the welding class so he could help in his family’s sanitation business. By God’s design, he was put in a cooking class instead, under the instruction of a key mentor. After graduation he joined the Army and learned how to cook on a larger scale. His passion for cooking was now set and after military service, Glenn worked in Maryland for several restaurants and hotels. Success led him astray, however. Although he had the thrill of working for a catering business in the music industry, working for such bands as Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones, Glenn also had to face the harsh reality that his lifestyle led him to a serious cocaine addiction.

Twenty-three years of drug use culminated in Glenn finally going to his knees. On Dec 27,1997, on the floor of a crack house, Glenn reached out to the Lord in desperation and was lifted up. From that moment, he began the long road of recovery. God returned Glenn to his passion and occupation in cooking, but now with a sense of renewed purpose. He became Corporate Chef in the Contract Food service industry and then became Sales Executive and Corporate Chef with Keany Produce Company, where he still works today. Glenn also is collaborator and head of Research and Development for Chesapeake Gard’en Soup Co.

Glenn’s passion for The Samaritan Women is twofold: to minister to the homeless and hungry through our farm and food programs, and to develop our culinary arts and food service curriculum to teach our residents about the joys of cooking and eating well.

Roy Skeen, Manager of Farm Production

Roy Skeen was born and raised in Baltimore and learned how to garden from his grandfather and namesake Roy Ritter. He has spent the past five years getting his hands dirty and continuing his education on raising food. He worked for one year as an Assistant in the Urban Agriculture Office of the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, before starting his own business, Skeen’s Greens, specializing in Edible Landscaping. Last fall he participated in the Baltimore County Young Farmer program at Calvert’s Gift Farm in Sparks, MD, where he learned by doing with Jack and Becky Gurley. His work has taken him to the isles of the Caribbean and the heart of Baltimore City, establishing gardens small and large. This year Skeen’s Greens will be selling produce grown on the grounds of TSW at the new Sunday market in Catonsville and the University of Maryland Medical Center market on Tuesdays. He hopes to continue to learn from the earth and all who share this work. .

Gary Ashbeck, Agricultural Initiatives

Born in rural Wisconsin, Gary has many talents. He has spent many years with his hands in the dirt growing up raising chickens and growing food and with Jonah House here in Baltimore where he worked a community food program that included fresh organically grown produce from their large urban garden and orchard. He also helped develop a grounds maintenance program with livestock for of St. Peter’s Cemetery. He is a community organizer, restaurant manager, ordained minister, and a carpenter with an eye for green technology.

He has a degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Human Services from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. Gary’s role at TSW is to oversee the planting and harvesting of our farm and to forge food distribution partnerships with the community. He can frequently be found with his nose in gardening, theology, and cooking books. He has one son-- all the more reason for him to continue to work to heal the planet and make good food plentiful.

We are currently recruiting for lead volunteers who have a passion for serving in the role of Volunteer Coordinator, Events Coordinator, Public and Church Relations.