If you have experience managing nonprofit organizations and wish to play a strategic role in moving Carmel Cares forward, we’d love to talk to you about joining our Board of Directors.
Co-Founder, President, and Chief Caring Officer
Leader – Forest Theater Restoration Project
Dale grew up in Southern California and developed a passion for hard work early on, helping with his family’s construction projects as a child. After earning a BS in Business and an MBA from the University of Southern California, Dale embarked on a successful career in sales and as a founder of international retail software companies. His work included consulting with over 250 major retail businesses and managing a company with 250 associates across 12 offices worldwide.
Dale and his wife Margaret discovered Carmel 22 years ago with their miniature poodle, Spencer, eventually moving full-time to Carmel-by-the-Sea seven years ago. They’ve since completed five hand-crafted homes, each reflecting their love for the village. In retirement, Dale has dedicated himself to volunteering and enhancing Carmel’s beauty and livability.
In 2018, Dale joined the Carmel Residents Association (CRA) board, where he strengthened ties between residents and the business community, created innovative programs, and helped modernize the organization’s operations. During this time, he also volunteered with the Carmel Chamber Visitors Center and co-created 12 Monterey Peninsula VoiceMap GPS Audio Tours.
Dale founded Carmel Cares in 2018 as a grassroots effort to study traffic calming and transitioned it into a full-time community initiative in 2020 to address needs created by COVID-related cutbacks. Under his leadership, Carmel Cares has become a dynamic volunteer organization that works tirelessly to keep Carmel beautiful, safe, and inviting. Dale’s efforts have earned him the CRA Citizen of the Year and Carmel Chamber Community Champion awards.
In addition to his work with Carmel Cares, Dale serves as the volunteer Grant Coordinator for Carmel Gives, a fund that has distributed over $2 million in grants to support the community.
Dale’s passion for Carmel drives his commitment to bringing people together to create meaningful, positive change. He invites everyone to join the movement, saying, “Carmel Cares is more than an organization; it’s a community of like-minded individuals working together to transform our Village. Come be part of the fun and fulfillment of making a difference!”
In June 2024, he stepped down from the Carmel Cares board to make room for new members and focus on public service. Dale is now the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea and continues to actively volunteer with Carmel Cares.
Co-Founder
Tim was a founding Board Member of Carmel Cares, encouraging the team to “think big” and create a movement that can be transformative to this special place. Born and raised on the Monterey Peninsula, Tim came from a family steeped in Carmel’s history with his father Bud Allen owning, and Tim working, in the iconic La Playa hotel. He attended local schools, including Stevenson High School, raised his three children in the area, and owns homes throughout the Peninsula.
Beyond his love for family and real estate, Tim’s other passion is the game of lacrosse. A successful collegiate player himself, Tim has become an avid supporter of the game. The teamwork, skills and overall discipline required to play at a high level have translated to his professional career as one of the top agents in the world and operator of a successful premium vacation rental business.
In March, 2020, he founded Carmel Gives Fund to assist nonprofits, businesses, and individuals impacted by COVID challenges. Working with Carmel Cares President Dale Byrne, the Fund has issued over $2 million through over 300 creative Win/Win grants that have resulted in over $5 million in benefit to nonprofits in Monterey County and beyond.
Tim resigned from the board in June, 2024 but remains an active financial supporter and advisor.
Co-Founder and Board Member
Margaret grew up on the east coast and graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a BA in Business Management. She worked her way up through support and marketing jobs with tech companies including Vice President Marketing for an international software and consulting company and President of the US division of a Swedish technology company. During these positions she moved from Connecticut to Dallas, TX and later to Manhattan Beach, CA.
Margaret and Dale married in 2003 and they have lived in Redondo Beach. They began visiting Carmel with their miniature poodle 23 years ago, bought a cottage in Carmel in 2011 and, after doing 5 major construction projects in Carmel, moved there full-time in 2017. After retiring from mainstream employment in 2012, she now enjoys working to support Carmel Cares initiatives as well as going out to lunch with her husband and doggies in Carmel. She loves to laugh, enjoys time with friends in Carmel and CT, and appreciates the beauty of our town and beach every day.
From 2018 to 2020, Margaret volunteered as the membership chair and assisted in coordinating The Voice newsletter for the Carmel Residents Association (CRA). Working with Dale, she helped install a new CRA membership management and website system to automate their business and communication processes and created the Village Incentive Program (VIP) by signing up over 50 local businesses to provide special offers to CRA members.
A founding Carmel Cares Board Member, she also helps manage the back-office accounting and donor management systems for Carmel Cares and assists with marketing and husband-management activities.
Vice President, Board Chair
Mark DiOrio has had an amazing career. Growing up in Norwalk CT, at 18, he became one of the youngest USCG licensed boat captains in the country, piloting a ferry boat between CT and Long Island. He attended the University of Connecticut where he played Division 1 Lacrosse and graduated with a dual degree in Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
Upon graduation, Mark moved to Cupertino, CA and embarked on a career in technology as Engineering Manager for National Semiconductor which included time in Southeast Asia. He then took a Swiss capital equipment and automation company public while living in Singapore as CEO of their Far East operations.
Mark then became the co-founder of a company specializing in technology development. After it was acquired, Mark left the Silicon Valley and moved to Carmel where he reverted back to love for sports and the sea by becoming the Asst. Boys Lacrosse Coach at Carmel High School. He also became the Director of Capital Campaigns with the National Marine Sanctuary in DC where he was responsible for raising the funding necessary to build the NOAA Exploration Center in Santa Cruz. In his spare time, he pursued a lifelong passion and built the DIORIO Cellars winery business.
Mark then ran the electro-optics division of the 500 year old Italian firearm company Beretta in Monterey, turning around the operation and achieving the Monterey County award for Best Manufacturing Operation of the year. When Beretta moved their operation out of state, Mark moved to the Pebble Beach Company as a Project Manager for capital construction. His projects included Lodge 2 and Lodge 3 renovations along with renovations at Spanish Bay 1 and Spanish Bay 2. It was during the Covid shut down that Mark departed and joined Carroll & Strong Builders as their Director of Project Management where he now coordinates building custom homes in Carmel and Pebble Beach.
Mark’s background in nonprofits includes the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the Greater Farallones Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the Monterey Chapter of the American Red Cross, The Smart Tech Foundation of San Francisco, The Bridge Restoration Ministries in PG, and the Carmel Foundation.
Board Member, Chief Financial Officer
Starting her life in the USA with her mother as non-English speaking immigrants, her life since then has been one of ambition, persistence, and commitment to helping others. Working long hours to support the two of them, she overcame the language barrier and earned a BA in Business (Cum Laude) and MBA from Sacred Heart University. She then worked her way up the ladder in New York and Connecticut, becoming a Treasury and Working Capital Analyst for Omnicom Group, a Senior Equity Analyst for Lehman Brothers, and Financial Analyst & Market Researcher for AON World Consulting.
Moving across the country to Carmel with her husband Peter, she became the Director of Finance, Operations, & Human Resources for All Saints Episcopal Day School, a job that entailed running all phases of that business. She then became the Executive Director/General Manager for the Yellow Brick Road Benefit Shop with broad responsibilities for this successful nonprofit organization.
For three years, Tea was the Director of Finance and Development for the Gateway Center of Monterey which provides live-in and day-care services for developmentally challenged individuals. In addition to oversight of finances and accounting, she took on the responsibilities of community engagement and fundraising activities and has also spearheaded raising funds for and managing a $300,000 project to renovate Gateway’s central courtyard.
She is now the Managing Director for Del Mesa where she is in charge of all operations for an active adult community of 289 condominium units.
Tea began herr work with Carmel Cares as a volunteer on the Scenic Pathway team and she plans to be a big part of Carmel Cares’ future growth and fundraising efforts. She has previously volunteered with CHOMP, The Carmel Foundation, The Lyceum of Monterey County, and is the founder of a startup nonprofit called Celebrityclosets.org. She has attended the Leadership Carmel program. She and Peter have an innovative and hardworking daughter, Kea, who is a student at Clemson. They live in Carmel with their 2 French bulldogs.
Board Member, Secretary
From working on Wall Street to taking teams to lacrosse tournaments in Australia, Bruce Dini has led a very exciting life, with all of his ventures eventually taking him back home and now to his current position as a Carmel High School history teacher.
His love for the Monterey Peninsula started when he attended Stevenson school as a boarder. He had a career in finance in New York and San Francisco but eventually made his way back to Carmel. He has now lived in Carmel for over 30 years and has had his kids go to both Stevenson and Carmel schools.
Dini retired from his busy businessman lifestyle and moved into teaching as it was more fulfilling to him and allowed for better family time. He has coached lacrosse and football but, since he didn’t have a teaching credential, he started his teaching career at Stevenson where he worked for six years. However, public school was where he wanted to end up, so when a long-term substitute history teacher position opened up at Carmel High School in 2020, Dini took the chance and went for it.
Like longtime friend Tim Allen, Bruce has always had a passion for the sport and grew it into a business venture when he and his brother, Stephen, started USA West Lacrosse, a program where they took kids to play lacrosse globally. Dini was also the first lacrosse coach CHS ever had when the team officially started in 2003, but then left for 10 years.
In his free time, Dini loves to play with his quarantine puppy, fish at his cabin in Truckee and make and play guitar whenever he gets the chance.
Bruce has extensive experience on nonprofit boards.
Board Member, Project Management Coordinator
Katie is a Senior Project Manager for LB Builders. She recently attended the Leadership Carmel Program where she was instrumental in planning and executing the Scenic Pathway Outlook project.
She is now helping coordinate Carmel Cares’ larger projects.
Board Member
Bibi attended CSUMB, Sonoma State University, and Harnell College, studying Business Administration. She is a Financial Service Supervisor for Monterey Credit Union. In that role she supports the business operations by managing staff, coordinating operations, and ensuring exceptional customer service. I aim to create a positive and productive work environment by communicating with team members, setting clear goals, and monitoring performance.
Bibi has volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club and assisting with golf tournaments at Pebble Beach. She recently attended the Leadership Carmel Program.
