Board of Directors
Mary Alvord, PhD, President and Founder
Mary Alvord, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of Board of Directors of Resilience Across Borders and Director of Alvord, Baker & Associates, LLC. She is a licensed psychologist and received her doctorate in 1977. She has been providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy interventions to children, adolescents, and adults over the past four decades. Since 2009, she has been collaborating with Dr. Rich at Catholic University of America on outcome research of the Resilience Builder Program® and has co-authored multiple journal articles and book chapters on resilience and translating research to practice. She has contributed to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) public education guides on resilience in children and teens and stress. Dr. Alvord’s Pursuit of Resilience has been featured on APA’s website.
Maria Zimmitti, PhD, Vice President
Maria Zimmitti, Ph.D. is the Founder and Clinical Director of Georgetown Psychology with offices in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Dr. Zimmitti is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 20 years of experience evaluating and treating children, adolescents, and young adults with a focus on anxiety, ADHD, autism, and learning disorders. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Zimmitti mentors and supervises early career psychologists and has served as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Ph.D. Program at George Washington University. She has served on numerous boards and committees to support education and mental health care, including the State Advisory Panel on Special Education for the District of Columbia, the District of Columbia Psychological Association, the DC Rape Crisis Center, and Resilience Across Borders.
Jami Axelrod, MBA, Treasurer
Jami Axelrod is a Partner at Hobson & Company, a consulting firm that creates custom ROI Calculators to expedite sales cycles for enterprise software and SaaS companies by analyzing client needs, value propositions, and sales process. Prior to working at Hobson, Jami originated the product marketing role at Akamai, a company that grew from $4M to $90M in revenue in one year and evolved from a start-up to a public company. Jami holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA from Tufts University. She is a former CPA at Coopers & Lybrand, where she planned, supervised, and conducted all phases of financial audit services for Fortune 100 companies. Jami serves on the Board of Compass Pro Bono, an organization that forges lasting ties between local nonprofits and local business professionals to empower thriving, equitable, resilient communities. She has led four volunteer-based consulting teams for Compass-selected nonprofits in the DMV area.
Beth Salcedo, MD, Founding Member
Beth Salcedo, M.D. is the medical director at the Ross Center in Washington. DC. She is a psychiatrist with expertise in diagnostic assessment and psychopharmacologic management of anxiety and mood disorders in adults. She completed her Psychiatry Residency at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where she was Chief Resident in her fourth year. She has been the Medical Director of The Ross Center since 2002, and has been with the center since 1997. She has consistently been named in Washingtonian Magazine’s “Top Doctors” since 2010. She has been an active member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America since 2004, chairing their membership committee and being elected to serve on their board of directors for 2014. A 20 year member of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Salcedo was awarded the title of Distinguished Fellow in 2015.
Susan Gurley, JD
Please return soon to read about Susan Gurley’s rich and impactful career.
Jelena Kecmanovic, PhD
Jelena Kecmanovic, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor at Georgetown University. After earning her doctorate from Temple University, she worked as a professor, psychotherapy practice founder and director, and therapist. An expert in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), she brings over 30 years of experience addressing anxiety, resilience, existential concerns, and technology and mental health. Dr. Kecmanovic is a frequent contributor to The Washington Post and other national publications. She serves on the boards of organizations focused on mental health care, wellness, and education for all, including The Women’s Center and Resilience Across Borders.
Shasha Lowe-Anderson, PhD
Dr. Shasha Anderson is an educator whose experience spans over twenty years. She has taught and served as a teacher leader in both Prince George’s and Montgomery County, Maryland. Her last role in K-12 education was an administrator in a middle school setting. Dr. Anderson is currently a Senior Professorial Lecturer at American University in partnership with City Teaching Alliance. In her current role she works to support educators in delivering equitable instruction. As a consultant she has participated in teacher professional development, curriculum creation, and conducted equity audits.
Joanna Sexter, MD
Joanna Sexter, MD is a partner at Spring Valley Pediatrics and has been recognized as one of The Washingtonian Magazine’s Top Doctors in Pediatrics for over 20 years. She earned her B.A. in Child Study from Tufts University and her medical degree from The George Washington University School of Medicine, followed by a pediatric residency at Georgetown University Hospital.
Dr. Sexter is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She holds academic appointments at both Georgetown University and GW Hospital.
Deeply committed to community health and education, Dr. Sexter has served in advisory roles with St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School, National Presbyterian School, and the Bender JCC Summer Camp. She was also a member of the Sanofi Autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes National Advisory Board and is a proud new board member of Resilience Across Borders.