Mary brings more than 20 years of experience facilitating the progression of college students’ learning beyond the bounds of campus through student-led community engagement. Mary earned her M.Ed. in College Student Personnel Administration at James Madison University, a B.A. in International Studies from Virginia Tech, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke. She has connected thousands of students to local and global experiential learning opportunities through the Arlington Fellows Program at George Mason University, the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, the Kernodle Center for Civic Life at Elon University, and the Center for Community Engagement at Gonzaga University. Prior to Madison House, she returned to the Community Engagement and Volunteer Center at JMU to advise and support faculty designing and implementing community-engaged learning courses. Mary is excited to draw upon these various experiences and models to advance Madison House's storied tradition of student empowerment and positive community impact.

Originally from West Virginia, Mary is happiest around mountains and resides in Crozet, VA. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking and camping, trying new recipes with her cookbook club, and reading past bedtime.

Tierra is a leadership educator dedicated to empowering students to reach their full potential and embrace leadership as a journey of self-discovery, community engagement, and ongoing growth. With more than 15 years of experience in leadership development, community engagement, and student success programming, she is passionate about helping students discover their unique leadership styles, engage in meaningful experiential learning, and foster a strong sense of community through their university experience and beyond.

Tierra earned her M.Ed. in College Student Personnel from Rutgers University and has worked with thousands of students as a leadership development facilitator and trainer.

As a new resident of Charlottesville, she has enjoyed visiting local coffee shops and restaurants! She is an avid traveler and recently visited her 26th state.

Originally from Mexico City with a degree in administration, Martha has spent the last 23 years in Charlottesville volunteering and working as an interpreter and translator for different non-profit organizations.

As a former chair of Creciendo Juntos, and as a graduate of Leadership Charlottesville and the CIC’s Entrepreneur Program, Martha continues to seek new ways to connect with people and pass along what she has learned. Being bilingual, she regularly engages in continuing education that improves partner communications and interactions, and she attends online courses offered by UnADAM and UNAM.

Martha brings more than 16 years of experience in tax preparation to Madison House. Her passion for seeing people grow fuels her tireless commitment to teaching people new skills. She feels her greatest achievement is when she’s given someone the confidence and knowledge to do something independently.