Alyssa is from Culpeper Virginia where she lives with her daughter and her English Bulldog puppy, Lilah. Alyssa is a George Mason University graduate and holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Work and Organizational Psychology. Before Alyssa joined Moms In Motion she worked in a variety of different fields including Property Management, Optical Technician/Receptionist and others. While it was not her original plan upon graduating, It was during her time working in the Optometric field when she met many patients who suffered from a variety of different forms of disabilitiesThe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.  This includes people who have a record of such an impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability.  It also includes people who do not have a disability but are regarded as having a disability.  The ADA also makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person based on that person’s association with a person with a disability. More and decided that she wanted to dedicate her life to working with those in need. It is her goal to advocate for as many families as possible and improve the life of others within her community. She is excited to be joining the team at Moms In Motion and begin a career in the Human Services field.

Outside of work Alyssa enjoys spending time with family, reading, crafting, and watching her three year old daughter learn and grow.

As a member of a family with three adopted kids with special needs, Benjamin is familiar with the difficulty of living in a world that is not catered to those with special needs. One of his greatest passions is equipping people with the tools necessary to give them and their families the best quality of life available to them. To that end, Benjamin has joined Moms In Motion with the hope of being able to fulfill this calling.

Britnie lives in Buckingham County, VA. She has experience as a children's caretaker for multiple families, a few of which had children with disabilities and special needs. She has also been a substitute teacher for Buckingham County Public Schools and worked with Special EducationSpecifically designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. classes at both the middle school and high school level. Britnie currently volunteers as a children and youth leader at PCC in Fork Union. She loves working with kids. Her goal is to go back to school in the near future and work on obtaining a degree in counseling to work with children in the school system.

Britnie is a very family-oriented, so in her free time she loves to simply spend time with her family and friends. She is very artsy and loves anything that involves creativity. Britnie also enjoys drawing, painting, building, writing poetry, and singing.

Mark lives in Charlottesville, VA with his wife and amazing son. He has been involved in the Autism community since his son’s diagnosis at age 2. Through personal experience dealing with the challenges of caring for a special needs child, he has gained an in-depth knowledge of the resources and support available for families.

Mark is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a B.A. in Religious Studies, and M.A. from University of Texas. Before joining Moms In Motion, he spent 15 years working as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in public schools in Virginia. Mark looks forward to joining the Moms In Motion team and using his skills to improve the lives of others in his community and help them reach their full potential.

Maura was born and raised in upstate New York. She moved to Charlottesville, VA in 2003 for better weather and new scenery. She earned her Bachelor’s in Human Development from Binghamton University.

Maura has over 15 years’ experience working with families providing person-centered services in their homes. She is looking forward to being part of the Moms In Motion team, and sharing her knowledge and experience with the families she will be serving.

For years, Susan has been an advocate for her daughter who has multiple developmental disabilities and complex medical issues. This experience makes her uniquely qualified to build rapport and trust with families in similar situations. As a Moms In Motion team member, Susan brings her knowledge, experience, and sensitivity to the job of helping others navigate the complex process of supporting those with special needs.

Tamara is a local girl from Central Virginia. Her and her husband are the proud parents of two beautiful children. She currently has an A.A.S in Respiratory Therapy as well as her LPN.

In 2015, Tamara had a sweet baby girl that was born prematurely at 24 weeks pregnant. This is where her journey in special needs began. The journey for this little girl was the changing point in her family’s life. The baby girl became vent dependentA dependent is someone who is sustained by another person, such as a child supported by his or her parents. More and had to have a tracheostomy done. She was also diagnosed G-Tube dependent. After 10 months of being hospitalized she finally came home. The tracheostomy was later removed and she was diagnosed with seizures disorder and Cerebral Palsy. Having a total care child proved to have its difficulties, but her and her family fought through.

After receiving help and guidance from Moms in Motions, Tamara felt that she needed to give back. She knows the resources and opportunities that are available first hand and she wants to make sure that other families know that there are places to turn for help and that they aren’t alone.