Salma Villarreal Siraj
Salma Villarreal is a first generation Mexican American raised in Charlotte, NC. She is the Executive Director here at ourBRIDGE for KIDS.
Salma began her work in the Charlotte community through advocacy for detained migrants, working in Latinx civic engagement, and grassroots organizing. She has always felt a deep connection to community and believes that in community is where you will find true healing, and joy. She found her way to ourBRIDGE in 2018 and has worked in several different capacities in the organization beginning her time as a Classroom Facilitator and working on several initiatives.
In her current role she is responsible for ensuring our programs are aligned with ourBRIDGE’s values and supporting the ongoing work of ourBRIDGE creating a welcoming, supportive, and loving environment for every child and family. Salma’s favorite LERD value is Love, as she believes love is the catalyst of all good change. Salma loves to spend her free time baking, reading, and spending time with her dog, friends, and family.
Lili Jaramillo
Liliana Jaramillo, daughter of Mexican immigrants, was born in Oakboro, North Carolina. At Pfeiffer University she not only graduated with a Bachelors in Human Services and Psychology, but was also captain of their Varsity Women’s Volleyball team. Growing up in a small town, Lili noticed how her parents struggled to stay connected with resources due to the lack of translation and organizations willing to work with immigrants. This grew her passion for working with bilingual families who needed a bit more support with navigating the system.
She began her internship at ourBRIDGE in 2018 and was then able to support the organization's COVID relief work in 2020 as an employee. After studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain Lili returned to help deliver 140,000 meals to families throughout the pandemic. Not long after that she became a Classroom Facilitator for the 5th grade class and began her role as a Family Support Navigator. Since then, Lili became a core member of our team, and she is now our Family Support Manager for High School students. At ourBRIDGE Lili oversees 100 high school students and their families and is able to connect them to various resources in Charlotte. She also makes sure to keep them involved in community events and their child’s school by doing regular check-ins . Throughout her time as a manager she has successfully made over 100+ food referrals for families and has created new partnerships with organizations who also have a great passion for supporting families!
Lili spends her free time playing volleyball and hanging out with her family. She hopes to continue supporting our families in a place where everyone feels like they belong and that is why her favorite LERD value is Diversity. She is grateful that ourBRIDGE makes sure to build a team that can also represent their children's cultures.
Sandra Kitembo
Sandra joined ourBRIDGE for KIDS as the Community Engagement Manager in the Fall of 2022. In her role, she oversees ourBRIDGE community relationships and develops partnerships with mission-aligned agencies and organizations in the greater Charlotte, NC community. Her passions are centered around the promotion of economic mobility and opportunity for all, long-lasting systemic change, equity, access and community development.
Congolese, born and raised in Kigali, Rwanda, Sandra is a native speaker of both French and Swahili. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth with a dual degree in Political Science and Psychology.
An avid podcast listener, Sandra enjoys the art of storytelling, being creative through writing, spoken word, design, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Favorite L.E.R.D value is: Love. Sandra believes that love is the intentional force that drives and maintains a community where everyone is seen, known and valued.
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.
Francina Bolan
Francina joined ourBRIDGE for Kids in April of 2022 as a Program Coordinator for Elementary. She possesses over 10 years of experience in education, specifically as a Montessori teacher for Early childhood. Francina moved from Dominican Republic to Colorado in 2015, and decided to call Charlotte home in April of 2021. She is a joyful woman who enjoys spending time hiking, discovering local coffee shops and playing video games.
Today, Francina is the Program Manager for K-8 at ourBRIDGE for kids, East location. Her main responsibilities include supervising a team of 16 people during the implementation of the afterschool activities daily. She is in charge of planning for clubs, curriculum implementation and cultural celebrations. Her main goal is to ensure that students that come to the center each day feel seen, appreciated and connected to their community.
Her favorite LERD value is education. In her words: Education is to me like many doors awaiting to be opened. With the right tools and support system, learning something new or improving a skill can widen one's perception of the world and the beautiful people in it.
