On The Porch Archives - Page 3 of 21

On the Porch: Lisa Fedele – New Orleans to Siler City

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Jan 18, 2026 | On The Porch

This Week:

Lisa M. Fedele is a creative strategist, community advocate, and entrepreneur dedicated to building vibrant, people-centered places. With a passion for arts-driven development and innovative food concepts, she leads projects that blend culture, commerce, and community impact. Her work spans downtown revitalization, small-business incubation, and storytelling that elevates local voices. In addition to her community work, Lisa serves as Global Creative Operations Lead at Cisco Systems, where she oversees large-scale brand programs, cross-functional creative workflows, and operational strategy. She is known for bringing clarity to complex initiatives, building high-performing teams, and delivering cohesive global experiences that strengthen Cisco’s brand and customer engagement.

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On the Porch: Bobbie Morel – Food for the People

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Jan 11, 2026 | On The Porch

This Week:

Service is a part of living for Bobbie Morel and food is her love language. Helping to lead the Chatham Alliance allows Bobbie to provide for her community while addressing food insecurity and do what she loves. Bobbie is married with 5 stepchildren and 8+ grandchildren. Her professional career was in the medical field and she later transitioned to electrical before retiring and moving from New England to North Carolina. Bobbie’s faith is the cornerstone of her life. She is a dedicated member of Pittsboro Presbyterian Church.

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On the Porch: Walt McRee – Public Banking Solutions

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Jan 4, 2026 | On The Porch

This Week:

Walt McRee has held leadership roles with PBI and the public banking movement since its earliest years. In addition to serving as Chair and President (2015-2017), Board Director, and Senior Advisor, Walt has been centrally involved as co-founder and director of other public banking initiatives including the Pennsylvania Project and Banking On New Jersey. Following an extensive national media career, Walt created, produced and co-hosted radio and TV programs for public banking including, “It’s Our Money with Ellen Brown” on the Progressive Radio Network as well as “Public Bank Solution” TV series. Following his initial period as PBI Chair, Walt founded Public Banking Associates, a national consultancy of public banking experts helping legislators and policy professionals address creation of their own public banks. Walt has also held founding leadership positions in other public interest issues including world hunger, the environment, public broadcasting and the arts. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Geography from Valparaiso University.

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On the Porch: Karen Howard – The Mason House

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Dec 28, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Elected as a Chatham County Commissioner in 2014, Karen Howard is a former attorney who lives in Northeast Chatham in a two-story Greek Revival house built in 1850 called the John A. Mason House. Commissioner Howard served as a member of the Chatham County Board of Education from 2012-2014. Born in New York, Commissioner Howard spent much of her childhood in the Bahamas. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgetown University and a LLB in Law from the University of Buckingham in England. In addition to serving as Chair of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, Commissioner Howard serves on the Governor’s Crime Commission, and the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees.

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On the Porch: Nida Allam – Running for NC Congress

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Dec 21, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Nida Allam is a Canadian-American politician, political activist, and data analyst. She grew up in NC’s 4th congressional district, the daughter of Indian and Pakistani immigrants. She attended North Carolina public schools and then NC State University, where she led a campaign to partner with local healthcare workers to provide free healthcare to low-income community members. Allam is currently the vice-chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, to which she was elected in 2020, making her the first Muslim woman to serve in public office in North Carolina.

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On the Porch: James Whalen, for NC Court of Appeals

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Dec 14, 2025 | On The Porch

James Whalen is an experienced appellate attorney in private practice at Brooks Pierce LLP. Earlier this year, he was part of the legal team that defended Justice Allison Riggs’s win and stopped a dangerous attempt to overturn a free and fair election.

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On the Porch: Sheriff Mike Roberson – Community Policing

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Dec 7, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Sheriff Mike Roberson has been Chatham County Sheriff for 10 years and recently announced his bid for election as a County Commissioner in 2026. A dedicated law enforcement officer who promoted integrity, teamwork, and community involvement by supporting local businesses, churches, and community events, Roberson has training and experience in public safety, crisis response (including group crisis intervention), terrorism response, protecting and serving children, leadership and supervision, communication, diversity (including organizing against racism) and responding to medical emergencies. As a lifelong resident of Chatham County he is passionate about serving his community and is married to his high school sweetheart.

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On the Porch: Lisa Sorg – Environmental News

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Nov 30, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Lisa Sorg is the North Carolina reporter for Inside Climate News. A journalist for 30 years, Sorg covers energy, climate environment and agriculture, as well as the social justice impacts of pollution and corporate malfeasance. She has won dozens of awards for her news, public service and investigative reporting. In 2022, she received the Stokes Award from the National Press Foundation for her two-part story about the environmental damage from a former missile plant on a Black and Latinx neighborhood in Burlington. Sorg was previously an environmental investigative reporter at NC Newsline, a nonprofit media outlet based in Raleigh. She has also worked at alt-weeklies, dailies and magazines. Originally from rural Indiana, she lives in Durham, N.C.

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On the Porch: Sen. Natalie Murdock – Good Work for NC District 20

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Nov 23, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

NC Sen. Natalie Murdock is a native North Carolinian, UNC alum, and senate representative for District 20, which encompasses Durham and Chatham County. She served as Deputy Communications Director for NC Attorney General Josh Stein. She is the first woman of color under 40 to be elected to the NCGA and was elected in 2020 with over 100,000 votes. As a freshman senator she immediately filed over 100 bills that range from supporting black maternal health, expanding healthcare access for ALL to providing greater access to the ballot.

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On the Porch: Liz Kline – Meaningful Community Impact

Posted by Aaron Johnson | Nov 16, 2025 | On The Porch

This Week:

Liz Kline grew up in High Point, North Carolina, and graduated from East Carolina University in 2007. She joined Capitol Broadcasting Company in 2009 and recently celebrated 15 years with the organization. Throughout her career in partnership and non-traditional revenue development, Liz has earned numerous honors, including eight Salesperson of the Year awards, Employee of the Year, a National Association of Broadcasters Service to America Award, and a Regional Emmy for Best Public Service Campaign. A two-time Leadership Triangle graduate, Liz is passionate about driving both revenue and meaningful community impact. She lives in Wake Forest with her husband, Dennis, and their children, Henry and Molly.

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