On The Porch

This Week:   

Gaurav Sharma is a Cybersecurity Architect at a leading IT company. Gaurav moved to the US from India in 2014 and found the cultural differences so fascinating that he started doing a standup comedy about it and has now performed across the nation when he is not protecting organizations against the bad guys on the internet.

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Representative Allen Buansi grew up in Chapel Hill and has represented District 56 (Orange County) in the NC House since 2022. His vision is a North Carolina that is affordable, accessible, and inclusive for everyone. Rep. Buansi previously served on the Chapel Hill Town Council, where he helped the town move forward on housing access, environmental justice and public safety. He is a lawyer, and he is a co-chair of the House Democratic Freshman Caucus.

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NC Rep. Maria Cervania, an epidemiologist and biostatistician, applied her expertise while serving as a Wake County Commissioner during the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Rep. Maria Cervania

Sworn in as North Carolina State Representative—District 41 in January 2023, she became one of two first-ever Asian American women elected to the NCGA and the first Filipino American to represent our state. She serves you on the Standing Appropriations, Appropriations—Health & Human Services, Health, Energy & Public Utilities, House Oversight, and Select Education Reform Committees.

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Martin Johnson is a co-founder of Shameful Nuisance, a non-profit that aims to make Orange County more vibrant, accessible, fun, and sustainable. Among other things, Shameful Nuisance runs Triangle Blog Blog, a daily group blog covering civics and news in Chapel Hill and Carrboro that reaches thousands of people across our region. He is also a member of the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition and the Chapel Hill Bicycle Alliance.

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Sen. Graig Meyer served in the NC State House of Representatives from 2013 to 2022. In 2023 he became the State Senator for Orange, Person, and Caswell Counties. Meyer approaches his public service through the desire to connect people to the resources they need. His priorities include ensuring every child receives a good education, families have access to good jobs and health care, addressing the climate crisis, and ensuring everyone their full rights to justice and representation.

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Sen. Graig Meyer served in the NC State House of Representatives from 2013 to 2022. In 2023 he became the State Senator for Orange, Person, and Caswell Counties. Meyer approaches his public service through the desire to connect people to the resources they need. His priorities include ensuring every child receives a good education, families have access to good jobs and health care, addressing the climate crisis, and ensuring everyone their full rights to justice and representation.

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Sarika Bansal was elected to the Cary Town Council in a runoff election on November 7, 2023. She’s a wife, the mother of a 14-year-old daughter and an accomplished information security professional and small business owner with her husband, Naresh Lunani. With their long hours and hard work, Raj Jewels has successfully operated for five years. Sarika is an advocate for women’s rights and better mental health resources. She’s committed to making investments in Cary for future generations.

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Liza Wolff-Francis (she/her) is the 8th Poet Laureate of Carrboro, North Carolina and she has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Goddard College. 
Carter Hubbard (she/her) is the founder and director of Floraffiti®, an award-winning, multifaceted placemaking, community engagement, and social justice project that flexes to accommodate and include a community’s needs. She has been a practicing artist for over 30 years. 

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Dr. Michael Turner is a global thought leader on credit reporting and credit scoring. He founded the Durham-based non-profit think tank PERC. PERC has worked in more than 25 countries, and has changed national law in more than 12 including the US. Dr. Turner is an Ashoka Foundation fellow, a consultant to the World Bank, and a serial social entrepreneur. In 2020, he launched Verify4—also in Durham—to make verifications available to everyone.

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Randy was joined by Lesley Landis and her father, Dr. Frank H. Russell in February of 2023. They discussed his experiences during a long career as a trauma surgeon. Following his passing, we’re airing this episode in memoriam.

For Part 1 of Randy and Dr. Russell’s conversation, click here.

For Part 2 of Randy and Dr. Russell’s conversation and to read his full obituary, click here. 

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