Meet the BUMP Faculty
Karen Uribarri-Tibabuzo, Director
Karen is originally from Colombia and has been blessed to call the United States her home for the past 25 years. While her academic background is in Veterinary Medicine, her heart and career path have been dedicated to serving families and communities.
In Washington, D.C., Karen served as Program Director for a nonprofit organization, where she supervised family literacy initiatives and domestic violence prevention programs. She later worked at Northern Virginia Family Service as Program Supervisor for the Health Affordable Team, overseeing programs that provided healthcare access to low-income families in Fairfax County.
Karen also spent time as a Spanish teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools, and for the past nine years she has owned and operated a bilingual home daycare, primarily serving FCPS teachers and their families. And let me tell you, she comes with the most glowing references!
Outside of work, Karen treasures time with her daughter, husband, and parents. She enjoys running, biking, cooking, traveling, and learning about new cultures. She is truly excited to join the BUMP family and to share in the wonderful work and fellowship of this community.
Karen Steele, Assistant Director
Karen has a bachelor’s degree in Child Development from Radford University and has been working with children for over 35 years. She began her teaching career as a Head Start Teacher, spent time as a SACC teacher for FCPS and then found a home teaching 3 & 4 year olds at BUMP before moving into the administrative side of the preschool.
She is blessed with two grown daughters, Megan and Emily, son-in-law Kenyon, and rescue dog Cleo. She likes to spend time with her extended family and has an identical twin sister in the area. In her free time, she volunteers at her church cooking for FACETS and volunteering for DONATE LIFE. She loves to read, do puzzles, and go for long walks with her dog.
Missy Greeley, Teacher
Missy has lived in the Northern Virginia area since 2003. She has her Early Childhood Development certificate from Northern Virginia Community College. Living in this area has given her so many opportunities and places to explore. She started working as a BUMP preschool teacher in 2021. She loves the experiences she gets working with children and loves providing education in a fun learning atmosphere. She's married to her husband Bobby, and they have two boys, Andrew and Brady. They also have two dogs (Buddy and Roxy). They love to explore the woods and go hiking. In her down time, Missy loves to read books.
Ayesha Farrukh, Assistant Teacher
Ayesha has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Pakistan. She came to the US in 2009 after getting married. She lives in Burke with her three kids. Her daughter will be in the Stars class this year. In her free time she loves to bake and spend quality time with her kids. She is really excited to teach at BUMP.
Blair Dolinger, Teacher
Blair studied at Radford University and successfully ran her own home daycare for 13 years. She is passionate about piquing her student’s curiosity for learning through science and adventure in the great outdoors. She began her work at BUMP as a substitute teacher, moving to Assistant Teacher for 6 years before becoming a Lead Teacher in 2014. Blair enjoys cooking, baking, and is crazy about hiking, biking, swimming, gardening, and spending time with family, friends and her two dogs Heidi and Oliver.
Carrie Goodale, Teacher
Carrie has a bachelor's degree in history from Mary Washington College where she interned for a year at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. She worked as an analyst for the airlines for 11 years before choosing to stay home with her children. Carrie is married with three kids, Ellie, Duncan (a BUMPster graduate) and Skye (a feisty cairn terrier). In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the movies, reading and traveling.
Khalida Aldabbagh, Teacher
Khalida has a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and has been teaching preschool students for over 20 years. She enjoys working with young children and being a part of their daily learning experiences. Story time and arts and crafts are some of her favorite preschool activities. Khalida has loved the wonderful environment and sense of community that BUMP provides. She is a wife and a mother of two daughters and loves to spend time with her family. In her spare time, Khalida loves to cook, read, and listen to music.
Dena Hale, Assistant Teacher
Dena is a native of North Carolina. She began
by working at Stay and Play and as a substitute when needed. She is excited to now work as a teacher's assistant for the three year olds.
In the past, she has been active in church children's ministries and Sunday School. She enjoys spending time with her husband. She enjoys being with the children in the classroom and getting them excited about learning!
Natasha Leija, Teacher
Natasha studied at Salisbury University and The Art Institute of NYC. She is married with 3 boys, who are BUMP Alumni. Natasha has worked previously in the Elementary classrooms along with the Program Specialist and Area Manager of Before and After School programs, writing curriculum, and growing Enrichment Programs in the MD/VA/DC areas. She loves to travel and spend time with family at Disney and other Theme Parks. Natasha enjoys painting, working on art projects, playing volleyball and pickleball in her free time.
Gail Martens, Assistant Teacher
Gail has been a proud resident of the Burke area for over a decade. As a devoted mother of two adult children who attended Fairfax County Public Schools, she actively supported their education by serving as a room mom, PTA member and officer, and library assistant. Gail enthusiastically organized class activities and parties, chaperoned field trips, and participated in countless Girl Scout events and Cub Scout camping trips.
She enjoys regular walks around Mercer and Burke Lakes, with occasional getaways to the Shenandoah. Her hobbies include reading, gardening, golfing, and cheering on her favorite football team — GO BIRDS! Gail has a passion for working with children and is excited for the upcoming school year.
Tammy Zerbo, Music Teacher
Tammy Zerbo received a Master of Music Education and a Bachelor of Music with concentrations in vocal and choral performance and completed teacher certification for Orff Schulwerk Pedagogy. She has taught high school and middle school chorus, elementary general music, music theater, voice, and piano. Tammy is a certified K-12 music teacher.
Tammy is also the full-time music director for Burke United Methodist Church. She teaches and directs choirs for all ages. You can learn more about these programs under “Worship/Music.” Tammy is mom to three adult children (Tamara, Sara and Zac) and yorkie, Winnie.
Joe Wells, P.E. Teacher
Mr. Joe, as the students call him, has been involved at BUMP since 2012 when his son became a BUMPster. He enjoys planning large motor activities and games for the students and seeing the joy they get out of simply being kids.
He is also a professional musician who forewent a busy national and international travel schedule to be at home with his son, who is a BUMP graduate. In his free time, he enjoys the Nationals, Football, Tennis, Fishing, museums, aquariums, and a variety of nature activities with his wife and son.