Salma Villarreal Siraj
A first-generation Mexican-American raised in East Charlotte, Salma began her community work through advocacy for detained migrants, Latino civic engagement, and grassroots organizing. She brings a deep background in community advocacy, trauma-informed care, and staff development, guided by her belief that migration is a human right and that every child and family deserves dignity, belonging, and care.
Salma joined ourBRIDGE in 2018 as a Classroom Facilitator and has grown with the organization – serving as our first Community Engagement Manager, where she strengthened partnerships and signature events like International Fall Fest; as Family Support Manager, where she built our holistic approach to working with newcomer families; as Associate Director, overseeing after-school and family support programs; and now as Executive Director.
Since 2018, Salma has been instrumental in strengthening our unique trauma-informed model with a focus on migration and resettlement. She has helped shape organizational culture and program design in ways that have made ourBRIDGE more than an afterschool program, but a place for community and deep belonging.
Her leadership has been recognized both locally and nationally. Salma is a recipient of the National Afterschool Association’s Next Generation Afterschool Leaders Award, an Aspen Ideas Fellow, and an Educational Equity Institute Fellow. She has served as an equity consultant for both national and local organizations, and presented at conferences highlighting the ourBRIDGE model. In 2022 Salma completed a Nonprofit Management Certificate from Duke University. Her career has spanned a deep commitment to our mission and most importantly, our immigrant and refugee neighbors.
Kim Rudolph
Our Finance Director, Kim Rudolph, has been in Charlotte for 18 years and happily transplanted from her hometown of Tampa, Florida. Kim is happiest when she is outdoors with her family in the mountains or at the beach. She is also a passionate animal lover. Kim values diversity and loves getting to know people from different cultures and areas of the globe.
As a CPA, she worked as a corporate accountant for 13 years and has worked for Charlotte non-profits since 2013. In 2016, Kim joined ourBRIDGE. As Finance Director, she oversees accounting and handles accounts payable, payroll processing, financial reporting, grant compliance and budgeting. She also works closely with the development team to analyze and respond to fundraising opportunities.
