Mom to Sam, age 7,
Noah, age 5 and Emily, age 2
Fairfax Station, VA
Rebecca Geller
Nominated by Bradford Cheney
Rebecca attends nearly every one
of her children’s activities, concerts,
soccer or t-ball games, all while
working as managing partner of her
own law firm, The Geller Law Group.

Rebecca’s firm was founded on the
principal that it is possible for a law
firm to be both family friendly for its
attorneys and provide high-quality
legal services. The all-women firm
was profiled in the New York Times in
May 2015, and Rebecca was recently
honored by Enterprising Women
Magazine as an “Enterprising Woman
of the Year.” In addition, Rebecca
organized the coalition last year that
successfully lobbied the Virginia
State Legislature to change the
state’s law allowing women to legally
breastfeed in public.

What’s the best parenting advice
you’ve ever received?
As much as anyone can plan or
schedule for the future, being a parent
is about learning to roll with the
punches when your kid is sick, school
is closed due to half an inch of snow
or they have a potty accident at the
most inopportune time. Just when you
think you’ve figured out what to expect
from a certain stage of your child, they
change and you have to adapt to an
entirely new chapter.

How has motherhood changed your
outlook on life?
My children have had several health
scares that forced me to prioritize
differently, and I no longer worry about
minor annoyances like I used to. I
also have a new-found appreciation
for Amazon Prime, pharmacies with a
drive-thru window, Netflix and minivans.

Most importantly, I find beauty in
small, everyday things when I stop and
explore the world through the eyes of
my children.

24 May 2016 washingtonFAMILY.com
how my children’s love of Chuck E.

Cheese helped my career!
Who are your role models?
Describe a favorite mom moment.

I was on my way to give a speech
to a conference of women business
owners and hit major traffic. I arrived
just a few minutes before my speech
and found a parking spot, but the meter
only accepted coins. I searched my
purse and car but only found a few
pennies – but of course, I found a cup
full of Chuck E. Cheese tokens. I tried
the tokens and laughed hysterically
when the meter accepted them. After
the speech, I brought quarters to feed
the meter since I had not actually “paid”
for my parking time – and laughed at
My grandparents fled Nazi
Germany to escape the Holocaust
and came to the U.S. with
absolutely nothing. Their ability
to overcome adversity and rise to
success inspire me every day as
I strive to emulate their perseverance
and grit.

What goals do you have for yourself?
I want to continue growing my firm so
we have at least 10 attorneys by 2020.

At the same time, I want to continue
prioritizing my involvement with my kids
and maintain workplace flexibility so we
can pave the way for other law firms
to adopt forward-thinking employment
policies. I’ve also been approached
several times to run for elected office,
which I plan to do when my children are
older.




Charity Furness
Mom to Timmy, age 7
and Julie, age 4
Warrenton, VA
Nominated by Megan O.

Charity is the executive director of
the Fauquier FISH food pantry in
Warrenton, VA, and founded the
Weekend Power Pack (WPP) program
in March of 2014. WPP distributes
backpacks of food over the weekends
to children in Fauquier County Public
Schools at risk of hunger when
access to school breakfast and lunch
is unavailable. Charity volunteers
40-plus hours every week with the
program, ensuring 150 children and
their families are fed weekly. She
coordinates with school counselors,
picks up and hauls bulk orders of
groceries each week, delivers bags of
food and leads a dedicated team of
volunteers. She provides a wonderful
example of selflessness to her own
children, as well as to those who
are fortunate enough to volunteer
alongside her.

watching. We all had a blast and my
son still talks about how much fun he
had going over the ramp with me.

What’s the best parenting
advice you’ve ever received?
I was told to trust my own
instinct by our family pediatrician.

It seems like simple advice, but
everywhere you turn someone
is telling you how to react or
respond to your own child. I’ve
learned to accept the advice,
learn from it and go with what I
know is best for my children and
our family.

How do you think your children
would describe you?
My 4-year-old daughter thinks my
favorite things to do are laundry and
cleaning the kitchen.

how my actions will change it.

Describe a favorite mom moment.

What advice would you give to new
or expectant mothers?
Find a village. Moms groups and
playdates are great ways to build a
village. How has motherhood changed
your outlook on life?
Motherhood has made me
responsible; not just for my children but
for the world they are growing up in. I
think a lot more about the future and
We were traveling and got caught in
a snow storm so we took advantage
of a local sledding hill. I didn’t know
the other parents so I was standing at
the top of the hill alone taking it all in. I
noticed most of the parents were doing
the same, standing around watching
their children have fun. There was
one dad having a great time sledding
with his kids. I decided I would rather
have fun and make memories with my
children than stand on the sidelines
Who is your role model?
I have so many role models but I
often look to my grandparents. They
have a lifetime of experiences to learn
from and have lived amazing lives. They
cherish God, family and friendships.

What goals do you have for
your children?
My children are still young so my
goals for them are not to be a doctor or
a lawyer. My goals for them are to learn
from their mistakes, to be a good friend
and to understand and communicate
their feelings.

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