Our Founder

For the past 25 years Debbie Billet Roumell held volunteer and professional leadership roles in nonprofit organizations with a mission to address obstacles faced by low-income families, immigrants, senior citizens and first-generation college students. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director for Silver Spring Village, a nonprofit membership organization that helps vulnerable seniors age-in-place. Her experience with first-gen students started when co-founding a Scholarship Fund for primarily first generation-to-college Wayne State University students, which provided stipends for low-income student to participate in internships.

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Under her direction, the DC Women’s Agenda, an advocacy and educational coalition of nonprofit organizations, worked to better the lives of low-income women and girls in DC. Pro-bono legal work at DC Volunteer Lawyers Project was also important work for Debbie, where she served both as a guardian ad-litem for low-income at-risk children and on asylum matters. Debbie is pleased to say that she has also been a mentor and assisted in college essays for first-generation students.

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Debbie received a Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown University, a law degree from George Washington University, and a BA from Washington University.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Rahel Bahibla

 

Rebecca Nassab

Rebecca is proud to serve on the board of My Dorm Room as she is a firm believer in the transformative power of education. She was especially inspired by My Dorm Room’s objective of helping to alleviate the financial and social anxiety first generation students may feel upon entering college.  Rebecca is an attorney with extensive experience representing clients in a wide variety of civil litigation and appellate matters in state and federal courts. For the last four years, she has volunteered as a pro bono attorney with DC Volunteer Lawyers’ Project where she represents victims of domestic violence in custody and divorce matters as well as victims of gender-based violence who are seeking asylum.  Rebecca received a BS from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business and a JD from the George Washington University School of Law.

 

Ranit Schmelzer

Ranit has worked for more than 25 years at the intersection of politics and policy as a lead communications strategist and spokesperson in the Executive Branch, in Congress, and in the advocacy world.   Today, as President of Schmelzer Strategies, she advises nonprofit organizations, foundations, and universities on the development and implementation of high-impact communications strategies.  Prior to entering private practice in 2012, Ranit led public affairs at the Corporation for National and Community Service in the Obama Administration (now AmeriCorps). Before that, she worked in the U.S. Congress, including 10 years as Communications Director for U.S. Senate Leader Tom Daschle. In addition to My Dorm Room, Ranit serves on the Boards of Impact100 DC and Washington Hebrew Congregation.

 

Elyse I. Summers

Elyse has devoted her career to the welfare of all people, thus making this new role with My Dorm Room a cherished opportunity. Since 2013, Elyse has been the President of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP). Prior to AAHRPP, Ms. Summers spent 15 years in the HHS Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). Before that, Elyse practiced FDA law (Buc & Beardsley) and served in the FDA Office of the Commissioner.  She began her legal career establishing and advising tax-exempt organizations (at, respectively, Steptoe & Johnson and Baker Hostetler). She earned her JD at the George Washington University BA from the University of Michigan. 

 

Darren Vieira

Darren is an attorney with 20 years of experience in the government and private practice involving the regulation of securities broker-dealers and security-based swap dealers.  Darren was previously an investment adviser representative serving corporate, non-profit, and high-net worth individual clients.  Darren has a law degree from Georgetown University, a BS in Economics and Finance from Bentley University, and he is a CFA charterholder.  Before joining the board as My Dorm Room’s Treasurer, Darren volunteered as a treasury staffer, Treasurer, and board member for other community non-profits.  Darren joined My Dorm Room to help first generation college students share the opportunities he had to succeed in college and after.