2025 Forum On The Hill

 Join 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com for the annual the Forum On The Hill — presented by the Town of Chapel Hill, UNC Health, Wegmans, Coleman Merritt Murphy & Rainsford P.C., and The Law Office of Chris Barnes. Airing live daily, Monday, December 8 through Friday, December 12, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and available the day after on-demand at Chapelboro.com, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

The 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro news team are returning with the annual Forum On The Hill the week of Dec. 8! Tune in for 15 panels covering 15 different topics that shaped our community’s top stories and experiences in 2025, hosted by WCHL’s Aaron Keck, Brighton McConnell and Andrew Stuckey. Find the full schedule on Chapelboro, listen to 97.9 FM or stream the discussions live, and find each panel on-demand afterward!

The list of topics, and participants, are as follows:

MONDAY, DEC. 8

The Economic Recovery From Chantal’s Floods (3 p.m.)

Host: Brighton McConnell

• Ian Scott — President, Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro
• Elie Abou-Rjeileh — Co-owner, Olmaz Jewelers
• Sarah Potter — Economic Development Program Coordinator, Town of Chapel Hill

Interpreting the Legality of Federal Immigration Operations (4 p.m.)

Host: Andrew Stuckey

• Chris Barnes — Immigration Attorney, Law Offices of Chris Barnes
• Rick Su — Professor and Researcher on immigration law, UNC School of Law

Supporting Our Immigrant Communities (5 p.m.)

Host: Aaron Keck

• Wendy Padilla — Member, Orange County School Board
• Holly Fraccaro — President and CEO, Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange & Chatham Counties
• Erik Valera — Community Advocate
• Eliazar Posada-Orozco — Council Member, Carrboro Town Council

TUESDAY, DEC. 9

Food Banks Step Up, But Need Help (3 p.m.)

Host: Andrew Stuckey

• Suzanne Tormollen — Director of Marketing, TABLE
• Rebecca Hankins — Director of Development, CORA Food Pantry
• Erin Riney — Executive Director, PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro

How Enrollment Data is Influencing Our Schools (4 p.m.)

Host: Brighton McConnell

• Rodney Trice — Superintendent, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
• Mark Samberg — Chief of Technology and Accountability, Chatham County Schools

Federal Impacts on Local Research Efforts (5 p.m.)

Host: Aaron Keck

• Rebecca Berlow — UNC Biochemistry & Biophysics
• Victoria Rovine — Carolina Public Humanities

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 10

What’s The Latest Around Higher Ed? (3 p.m.)

Host: Aaron Keck

• J.B. Buxton — President, Durham Technical Community College
• Lee Roberts — Chancellor, UNC-Chapel Hill

Do Recent Changes Make College Athletics Feel Different? (4 p.m.)

Host: Brighton McConnell

• Corey Holliday — Former UNC Associate Athletic Director for Football and NFL receiver
• Deborah Stroman — UNC Professor and CEO of Stroman Athletic and Asset Management
• Erianne Weight — UNC Professor and Director of Center for Research in Intercollegiate Athletics

Reframing How We Discuss and Plan for Extreme Weather (5 p.m.)

Host: Andrew Stuckey

• Karen Howard — County Commissioner, Chatham County
• John Richardson — Community Sustainability Manager, Town of Chapel Hill
• Lisa Sorg — Reporter, Inside Climate News

THURSDAY, DEC. 11

Steps Still Needed for Equity in Health Care (3 p.m.)

Host: Aaron Keck

• Dr. Dana Iglesias — UNC Family Medicine
• Ciara Zachary — UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
• Gary Collins — Piedmont Health Services
• Jean Phillips-Weiner — Orange County Health Department

Checking Area Housing Inventory (4 p.m.)

Host: Andrew Stuckey

• Ian Scott — Vice President for Advocacy, Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro
• Theodore Nollert — Council Member, Chapel Hill Town Council
• Randy Voller — President and Broker In Charge, VRC Limited

Reforming and Contextualizing Orange County’s Property Assessments (5 p.m.)

Host: Brighton McConnell

• Shereese Alston — Resident Advocate, Orange County Property Tax Justice Coalition
• Marilyn Carter — Commissioner, Orange County
• Amy Fowler — Commissioner, Orange County
• Beverly Scarlett — Former Orange County Judge and Hillsborough resident
• Hudson Vaughan — Resident Advocate, NC Housing Coalition/Community Justice Collaborative

FRIDAY, DEC. 12

External Changes Are Changing Nonprofits’ Approaches (3 p.m.)

Host: Brighton McConnell

• Gayane Chambless — Program Director, Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth
• Breah Woolsen — Program Specialist, Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth
• Jennifer McFarland — Director of Development, Hope Renovations
• Kyle Shipp — Board President, Boys & Girls Club of Pittsboro
• Rachel Valentine — Executive Director, Orange County Rape Crisis Center

Arts in Uncertain Times (4 p.m.)

Host: Andrew Stuckey

• Jaki Shelton Green — Poet
• Fred Joiner — Poet and Council Member, Carrboro Town Council
• Katie Murray — Executive Director, Orange County Arts Commission

What’s On Local Musicians’ Minds? (5 p.m.)

Host: Aaron Keck

• Dave Hedeman — All Y’all Records, The Gone Ghosts
• Azul Zapata — Singer/Songwriter
• Shirlette Ammons — Musician, Poet, Producer

WCHL Forum Archive

More Local Stories on 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com