Our staff is dedicated to the full restoration of hurting teenagers and their families. From Houseparents to Office Staff, each one of our staff members is carefully selected to be a light to those in need.
Lori Ziegler – Executive Director
Lori Ziegler is the founder and Executive Director of House of Hope York PA. As a child, Lori Ziegler was abused by an adult that she was supposed to be able to trust. Years of shame and guilt compounded and she entered her teenage years as a confused and hurting young woman. At the age of 14, Lori attended a church youth retreat and gave her life to Jesus Christ; however, she walked away because she did not feel worthy of love. To deal with this confusion and pain, Lori turned to drinking at the age of 15. At the age of 20, Lori began secretly using drugs and alcohol, remaining in bondage to these addictions for the next 20 years.
On the day she turned 40, Lori hit rock bottom. With the weight of the lies, mounting debt, watching her children mirroring her actions, and her marriage on the brink of falling apart, Lori finally sought the help of friends from the church she attended as a teenager. Her friends implored her to go with them to a Women of Faith conference. One of the speakers at this event was a comedian/singer named Chonda Pierce, who eventually became a spokesperson for the National House of Hope. At the conference, Chonda began to share all the sad and terrible things she and her family experienced. In spite of those experiences she seemed to have such peace and joy, even though you could sense her pain. Chonda began to sing a song about hope, how much God loves us, and there is nothing so terrible that we could do that would cause Him to stop loving us. By the end of her presentation, Lori felt inspired. She rededicated her life right then and there to Christ and left the conference with a renewed heart. Lori sought counsel, worked through her issues and the following year attended the Women Of Faith Conference TOTALLY free of drugs and alcohol.
After that life-changing experience, in 2005, she felt lead to open up a home for hurting and broken teenage girls and their families, and began the work to open up House of Hope York PA. She reached out to the National House of Hope and began the process of becoming an affiliate and learning how to open a home in South Central Pennsylvania. In 2007, all of her hard work paid off when the doors to House of Hope York PA opened for parent education classes and non-residential counseling services in the community. In May, 2012, the Residential Home and Hope Academy opened for teen girls, giving them the chance to heal their heart wounds and learn that to be loved for who they are.
Sheri Picone – Hope Academy, Teacher | School Administrator
Three years ago the House of Hope staff was in need of a part-time science and math teacher for their school. Sheri Picone, a recently retired homeschool mom of 18 years, was hired to help the teaching staff at Hope Academy. The school uses the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum, which focuses on individualized independent learning accomplished through reading comprehension. This curriculum is a biblically based program, which sets goals of developing godly character traits and learning scriptural verses at the beginning of each PACE. Sheri’s ability to teach using the ACE program is enhanced by her teaching experience that she gained from raising her own children. She has continued using her God-given gifts by taking on the position of the full-time teacher/administrator, where she has been instructing the students in all subject areas for the past year. Her goal in the classroom is to motivate and enthuse her students with the love of learning in addition to sharing her love for the Lord.
Elena Bair – Director of Residential Programs & House Parent
After recently moving back to the area, Elena Bair started working at HOH in September 2016. Graduating from The University of the Arts in 2011, Elena spent the last four years teaching piano, ukulele, and voice lessons throughout the mainline of Philadelphia and South Jersey. Elena brought her passion for music and love of teaching when she came to work for HOH after hearing about House of Hope’s needs through her home church. As a houseparent, Elena helps facilitate the healing and life skills growth process in a family-like setting, teaching the girls tools they need after completing the program. She has likened the healing and growth process at The House of Hope to mastering a difficult piece of music; both of these processes inspire confidence and maturity in the individuals that commit to learning and growing. Elena enjoys planting these seeds in the girls that come through the program and watching them blossom into the amazing young women they have the capacity to be.
Nikki Rhoads – House Parent
Nikki came to House of Hope in January 2013 after getting her associates degree in Biblical studies. After growing up in a chaotic and destructive environment, Nikki was a lot like the girls that seek help at House of Hope. Deeply in pain and in need of help, she sought help at New Life for Girls. It was here that Nikki realized the calling on her life to help young teens with a similar story to hers. By teaching the girls, structure, discipline, the Word of God, and how to receive God’s love, she feels she is able to prevent them from making the same mistakes that she did. Nikki loves working at House of Hope because the parents are required to do as much works as the girls. She feels confident that the work done here enables to the girls to go back into a healthy environment for continued growth rather than going back into a destructive one.
Lisa Fizer – Counselor
After a 33 week course and 2 year internship at Freedom Thru Jesus Fellowship, Lisa Fizer has spent the last 12 years working as a counselor and recently became a licensed minister. Upon hearing about The House of Hope York through another counselor in the community, Lisa came to the House of Hope as a counselor in March 2016. Previously, Lisa worked primarily with adults who had developed many years of harmful patterns and is excited to be working with young girls to help set them free before the lifelong patterns are formed. Lisa enjoys the fact that at House of Hope, they work with the whole family unit, preventing the girls from re-entering a dysfunctional environment that often causes regression.
Joy Sullivan – Counselor
Joy Sullivan came to House of Hope York 8 months ago after hearing about House of Hope through our community and felt lead to apply. With her degree in Individual and Family Studies, she feels privileged to work with teens and their families in facilitating restoration in their lives. Motivated by a strong desire to see teens healed and restored as well as the transformation of the entire family unit, she counts it a blessing to hear and share the testimonies of the girls that come to The House of Hope York.
Tammy Ort – Events Coordinator
Tammy Ort joined House of Hope in June 2011 as a fundraising volunteer. Previous education and career experience in positions utilizing her creative, fundraising and administrative skills have served various capacities at HOH through the years. Tammy’s current position as Event Coordinator provides the challenge and excitement of planning and executing annual fundraising events and campaigns to grow and sustain the ministry. Her passion is met as she watches God bring healing and restoration into the lives of hurting teens and their families. Being part of a faith-based program and working with her “family in Christ” at House of Hope blesses and motivates Tammy to continue seeking new and inventive ways to use her spiritual gifts while serving the Lord.
Megan Fizer – Fund Development Associate
Meg Fizer is the most recent addition to the House of Hope team, joining the team in May 2017. With her education in Marketing & Fine Arts, Meg has spent the last 6 years helping non-profits and mental health organizations grow their reach. As Fund Development Associate at House of Hope, Meg develops and maintains relationships with current donors and potential donors by engaging audiences with speaking events, social media, and personal meetings. Passionate about helping young people receive healing and restoration in their lives as well as their families, Meg is excited to join a strong and successful program that sets young people on a path that will help lead to the healthy and happy life they were created to live.
Lisa Smith – Administrative Assistant
Lisa came to The House of Hope in search of counseling for her son Auston who was struggling. Inspired by what experienced at The House of Hope and the growth and change that her family had received from counseling, Lisa and her husband became volunteers to give back to the place that they had received so much from. After training, Lisa and her husband facilitated parenting classes and even became parents to one of the girls who could not go back to her home. With her background in HR, Lisa now helps in the areas of HR and Finance at The House of Hope York and delights in being part of a program that brings healing and wholeness to families and young women. Lisa and her husband both currently serve as pastors in their church.