Rebecca Kahlenberg — Founder and Executive Director

Rebecca Kahlenberg grew up in suburban New York and received a BA from Harvard college and a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She worked briefly for Prince George's County Government in Maryland, then chose to be home with her two young children and began volunteering in her community. After the birth of her third child, she started a quarterly newsletter for families called "Family Travelers."  That writing adventure launched her freelance writing career, and Rebecca then continued freelance writing for magazines and newspapers for about 15 years. During that time she was also active in many community organizations and served as PTA co-president at Bannockburn Elementary School and President of the Woman's Suburban Democratic Club.

Rebecca founded MoverMoms in 2007 and published a parenting book in 2008 called "Like, Whatever": The Insider's Guide to Raising Teens. She also currently does some corporate and non-profit communications.

Rebecca lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband and four daughters.

Tricia Russell — Board President

Tricia Russell grew up in suburban Maryland. She attended Montgomery County Public Schools and graduated from Sherwood High School, where her husband graduated from as well and where they met. She received a BA in Early Childhood Education and History as well as an MS in Special Education from Hood College. She received a Leadership Certificate from Johns Hopkins University. She worked as a teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools for 13 years, during which time she also served on many school committees. She currently works for Fairfax County Public Schools and lives in Virginia with her husband and daughter.

Salma Hasan Ali — Chief Inspiration Officer

Salma Hasan Ali is a writer focusing on cross-cultural issues, South Asia, and people making a difference. She has over 20 years of experience in communications, press relations, writing, editing, and project and publication management. Her personal essay, "Pakistan on the Potomac", about how her family came to America from Pakistan, was recently published in the Washingtonian, and she has published articles and op-eds in magazines and newspapers around the world. She was the Senior Press and Information officer for the Commission on Global Governance, an international commission of world leaders, in Geneva, Switzerland. She developed and implemented a strategy for the international launch and promotion of the Commission's report "Our Global Neighborhood, which included organizing the first bilateral visit between Swedish Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson and South African President Nelson Mandela in Cape Town and for Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Salma was the Senior Editor at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) in Stockholm, Sweden, where she edited several books and formulated the organization's communications strategy and publication guidelines. Salma has also worked at Newsweek International in New York, The Advisory Board Company in Washington, DC, and UNDP in Bahrain. She has a Masters in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a BA from Columbia College. Salma lives in Potomac with her husband and two children.

Heidi Bumpers — Secretary and Co-Founder

Heidi Bumpers has lived in the Washington D.C. area for 25 years.  She received her undergraduate degree in 1978 and her JD in 1981.  She worked as an attorney at the Environmental Protection Agency and was a Section Chief in the Office of Enforcement.  She is currently Counsel at the law firm Jones Day in Washington D.C., where she has worked part time for over 20 years.  She serves on the Board of Advisors for the Environmental Counselor, she is President of the Palisades Swimming Pool Association, and she has held several Board positions at her children's schools.  She is a youth sports coach and enjoys a variety of volunteer activities.  She and her husband Bill have three children, ages 12, 16 and 18.

Cheryl Fisher — Treasurer

Cheryl Fisher grew up in Bethesda, graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 1977, and has lived in the D.C. area most of her life. She received a BA in Political Science from Denison University in 1981. She was an Associate Broker for Legg Mason (now Morgan Stanley Smith Barney) for eight years.

Cheryl works for the Cade Museum Foundation; the Foundation will begin building the Cade Museum For Innovation and Invention in Gainesville, FL. in 2012. The family of J. Robert Cade (physician, scientist, musician, and lead inventor of Gatorade) owns a collection of 30 antique violins, some of which are being loaned to University of FL music students to play in recitals/concerts in Gainesville. Cheryl is developing a Museum Music Series – Concerts at the Cade.

Cheryl is a cellist in the Symphony of the Potomac, formerly the JCC Symphony. She is active in many volunteer/service projects at B-CC High School and her church, Pilgrim Lutheran Church.

Cheryl and her husband Rob (also a graduate of WWHS) are raising two children, Max and Allison.

Barbara Weckstein Kaplowitz — Board Member

Barbara Weckstein Kaplowitz grew up in southwestern Virginia, and received a BA with Distinction from the University of Virginia. In 1994, she founded Big Huge Ideas — a full-service agency which provides copywriting, marketing strategy, Web site development and editorial assistance to organizations of varying sizes and shapes. Previously, Barbara worked for United Communications Group, the American Electronics Association, the Urban Land Institute and the Chamber of Commerce of the U.S. She formerly served as: publisher of What’s Working in DM and Fulfillment and The DeLay Letter; the editor of American Lawyer Media’s Marketing the Law Firm, the editorial director of Postal World, co-publisher of, Between the Covers Book Club, and Chief Marketing Officer for Scottsdale Collection, an on- and off-line retailer of sports-related art, gifts and books. Barbara is the secretary of the Specialized Information Publishers Foundation, manages six online communities for the Specialized Information Publishers Association, and is communications chair for Congregation Har Shalom. Barbara lives in Potomac, MD, with her husband and two children.

Carol Weil — Board Member

Carol Weil is a California native, but now calls Washington, D.C. home after living in the area for more than 25 years. A lawyer by training, Carol's professional focus has been in the fields of health policy and medical ethics. She served as senior counsel to the Inspector General at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, a position she left after having her two daughters Marissa and Julia, in order to work part time at the National Institutes of Health while raising her children. Carol received her B.A, from Pomona College in 1981 and her J.D. from Boalt Hall (UC Berkeley) in 1984.

Carol is an avid singles tennis player and also loves hiking with her husband and dog, biking (without the dog), and family vacations to faraway destinations. Some favorites include Morocco, Egypt and the Galapagos Islands. A veteran PTA and synagogue volunteer, Carol is currently serving on the Montgomery County Grants Advisory Group, advising the County Council about funding for local nonprofits - recusing herself from any decisions concerning MOVERMOMS, of course!