Cultural Humility
This process involves recognizing the limitations of our cultural perspectives and being open to learning from and about the cultures and backgrounds of others.
ourBRIDGE’s critical elements of cultural humility include:
Self-Reflection
Our staff is trained and engaged in ongoing self-reflection to identify their biases, prejudices, and stereotypes related to culture, race, ethnicity, religion, and other aspects of identity.
Cultural Responsiveness
Cultural humility aims to create safe and inclusive environments where individuals from diverse backgrounds feel valued, respected, and free from discrimination or judgment. This includes reflecting our community in our communication styles, event setups, language, food offerings, and more.
Respectful Inquiry
We approach kids and coworkers from different cultures with genuine curiosity and a willingness to listen and learn. This includes actively seeking to understand others' perspectives and experiences.
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Cultural humility recognizes that cultural learning is an ongoing, lifelong process. It acknowledges that we can never fully master or understand every aspect of another culture but can always strive to be more humble and open.
Acknowledgment of Power Dynamics
Cultural humility acknowledges power imbalances that can exist between individuals or groups from different cultures, especially in situations of privilege and oppression. It encourages us to be aware of these dynamics and work to address them.
WE ARE LERDS!
Because we believe in Love, Education, Respect, and Diversity.
Love
Every child has the right to feel a sense of belonging in a safe, inclusive, and loving community. We believe in allowing children to be their full and authentic selves.
Education
We believe that authentic learning is a liberatory practice. We encourage curiosity and connection and foster a love of learning in all our students.
Respect
The belief that respect is earned, not given, is central to ourBRIDGE. We model and encourage respect for all.
Diversity
Our students come from around the world, and we know that diversity strengthens communities.
Our Team
Salma Villarreal Siraj
Executive Director
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
Finance Director
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.
Danae Mast
Development and Communications Manager
Mike Wetsel
Staff Accountant
Finn Fisk
Operations Coordinator
Chris Jauregui
Social Media Marketing Manager
ourBRIDGE Afterschool - East Side @ Aldersgate
Francina Bolan
Program Manager - East Site
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.
Damian Hernandez
Officer Manager
ourBRIDGE Afterschool - South Side @ Pinewood Elementary
Lourdes Sanchez
Program Manager - South Site
Hi, my name is Lourdes! I was born in Arequipa, Peru and moved to Charlotte, NC when I was 7 with my family. Growing up in Charlotte, my family greatly benefited from community programs focused on promoting higher education for first generation students. Being able to have these kinds of resources so easily available made me want to advocate for families who did not have the same kind of access. I graduated with a B.S. in Political Science from Appalachian State University, where my interest in educational equity deepened. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with families and students in both Charlotte and Greensboro.
I’m currently a Master’s student in Project Management at Wake Forest University and in my free time I love being outdoors. I like going to the White Water Center, training for races with running clubs, spending time with my friends, family and two cats I share with my sister, Wednesday and Hermoine, and going to Yunta for their ceviche A LOT. I’m so excited to be a part of the OurBridge team, meet all the families and students that make this place so vibrant, and make a meaningful impact in our community this year.
How long with ourBRIDGE? This is my first year with ourBRIDGE.
What does your role entail? I connect families to resources, provide advocacy and offer different types of support.
Favorite Lerd Value and Why? My favorite LERD Value is Diversity because whether it’s through travel or working with a young student who teaches you a word in their native language, it’s very special to connect with people through even the smallest of gestures that mean a lot to them and makes them feel seen, respected and welcomed by you.
Dina O’Connor
Office Manager - South Site
Family Support Team
Lili Jaramillo
Family Support Director
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.
Perla Castro
Family Support Manager - South Site
Monica Rodriguez
Family Support Coordinator
Estefani Tecpoyotl Cocone
Family Support Navigator
Grace Martinez
Family Support Navigator
Victoria Vega
Family Support Navigator
Community Engagement Team
Sandra Kitembo
Director of Engagement and Partnerships
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.
Jordan Lopez
CIHC Outreach and Programs Manager
Amilia Keomuongchanh
Volunteer Engagement Manager
Supporting Team
Ginger Jantz
Certified Afterschool ESL Teacher
Martia Edwards
Play Therapist and Classroom Coach
Dr. Lan Kolano
UNCC Principal Investigator
Lan Kolano is a Professor of Education and Chair of the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K12 Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She completed her Ph.D. in the Culture, Curriculum, and Change program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004 after working as a public school teacher in Virginia and North Carolina. Dr. Kolano teaches undergraduate and graduate level foundations courses on language, immigration, and anti-racist pedagogies. Her research focuses on the academic, language, and identity development of immigrant learners, and in the fostering of critical multicultural efficacy in teacher preparation programs. She has been awarded the College of Education’s Excellence in Teaching Award, the Sustained Service to Public Schools Award, and Diversity Award for her innovations and contributions to teacher education. Recognized as an advocate for social justice education, she also serves on critical advisory boards for several non-profit organizations serving local refugee/immigrant communities.
Dr. Claire Cronin
Trauma-Informed Care Advisor
Dr. Claire Cronin is a passionate counselor and trainer who has been assisting children,families and the communities that support them for over 15 years. Claire is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S) with advanced training in counseling children, adolescents and families. Claire provides training and technical guidance to organizations seeking to provide trauma informed and developmentally appropriate care to children and families from diverse backgrounds. Claire likes to integrate play, joy and fun into her trainings, as these are foundational to supporting healthy youth and staff alike. Another major focus of technical guidance and training is supporting frontline care workers to reduce compassion fatigue and burnout. Claire is constantly in awe of the work that ourBRIDGE does as it is one of the most child-centered, dynamic and play based programs she has ever had the privilege of working with! ourBRIDGE is a model for care in diverse communities due to its innovative approaches to learning, integration of cultural pride and acceptance through LERD values, and diverse staff reflective of the communities it works with. She is honored to be part of the team supporting the incredible children and families of ourBRIDGE.
Pat Martin
Grant Writer-Lee Institute
Our Board
Satoshi Watanabe – Board Chair
Retired
A.T. Castillo – Vice Chair
Retired
Natalie Cowart
People Operations & Culture, Acacia Center for Justice
Ka’Lee Strawbridge
Senior Management Information Security, Lowe's
Gavin Dowell
Vince Altamura
EVP Deputy General Counsel, Truist
Kim Barnes
Officer Housing & Neighborhood Services City of Charlotte
Matthew Roden, MBA, MHA
Area Vice President, Community Engagement NC/GA, Atrium Health
Nancy Yang
Senior Manager at RSM US LLP
Nancy is a first generation American whose parents immigrated to the US from China. She grew up in Plano, TX where she learned all about rodeos, football, and good barbeque. In addition to encouraging her to embrace her new country, Nancy’s parents were also very focused on maintaining her Chinese heritage and cultural roots. Her love of people, countries, and appreciation for cultural differences have greatly shaped who Nancy is. She feels grateful and privileged to be part of Our Bridge for Kids in her Treasurer role on the organization’s board.
For her day job, Nancy is a tax CPA with RSM, an international public accounting firm. She helps businesses address their tax needs and questions. Outside of work, she spends time with her husband and son at the dinner table, on baseball fields, and on greenway trails. If there’s any time left over after that, Nancy likes to read and will occasionally work on her yoga practice.