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.