On the Porch: Kristine Sloan – Training Regional Leaders

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.

This Week: Valerie Foushee is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing North Carolina's 4th Congressional District. She assumed office in January 2023 after serving nearly a decade in the North Carolina General Assembly. In the 119th Congress, Rep. Foushee holds several key positions including Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics (Committee on Science, Space, and Technology), and Co-Chair of the House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy. Recently her key areas of legislative focus and advocacy have been Immigration, Environment and Healthcare, Accountability, and Campaign Finance

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.

This Week: Theo Nollert is the Policy Director at Carolina Forward, a North Carolina think tank, and is currently serving his first term as a member of the Chapel Hill Town Council. Before joining Carolina Forward, he ran the North Carolina Democratic Party's 2024 campus turnout program and was the president of the Graduate and Professional Student Government at UNC.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

This Week: A Triangle native, Kristine Sloan brings a deep commitment to justice, interdependence, and authenticity into all of her work. She’s an entrepreneur, executive leader, facilitator and strategist. As the Executive Director of Leadership Triangle, Kristine works to connect local leaders to their values, purpose and vision, in service of greater regional collaboration and impact. Prior to Leadership Triangle, Kristine was the CEO of StartingBloc, supporting 3200+ social entrepreneurs and activists as they made significant social change. Earlier in her career, Kristine led a multimillion dollar grant project in Burundi for All Across Africa, designed cross-cultural programming for NC State University, worked on water advocacy rights with indigenous populations in South India and co-founded a social enterprise in West Africa.