Leadership

Lenore has been a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community since 1998, raising three boys in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system. An attorney with a solo practice in agricultural biotech transactions and licensing, Lenore has an MA in international relations. She joined the Transportation Advisory Board to the Carrboro Town Council in 2021. Lenore also joined the Board of Directors of PORCH in the fall of 2021, serving as a member of the Governance Committee. Lenore believes that PORCH has a critical role in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro food relief community. She seeks to ensure that PORCH has a strong and agile corporate structure to support its growing mission through whatever changes or challenges may come.

Lisa and her three grown kids have been Chapelborro residents since 2003. Working as an educator in middle school, high school, and community college, she feels lucky to live in a community that is committed to meeting the needs of all its members. After working as the Family Literacy Program Coordinator for Orange Literacy she now works as an ESL teacher working primarily with adults. In her downtime she enjoys hiking with her dogs, raising her chickens, and playing pickleball.

Julie began her career in local government management and finance with the City/County of San Francisco, CA followed by the City of Durham, NC. She now works as a public sector management consultant focusing on strategy, organizational effectiveness, leadership, and community engagement. She also serves as an adjunct instructor for the UNC Master of Public Administration program. When she and her family moved to Chapel Hill in 2001, Julie became involved in our public school system and a variety of other community programs. Julie has been contributing food for her neighborhood’s monthly food drive since PORCH’s early years and is honored to join the Board of Directors.

MacKenzie is a school social worker at McDougle Middle School in Chapel Hill. She joined both the school and PORCH in 2026 and is passionate about ensuring families have access to food and other resources necessary to live safe, comfortable, and successful lives. With her background in social work, she understands that access to basic needs is essential for a child to thrive both in the school setting and outside of it. Part of her role as a school social worker is fostering relationships with students, families, and the community. Serving on the Board allows her to deepen those connections and advocate for her students and the greater community.

Julie had a career in various entrepreneurial businesses in the medical device industry for over 25 years. As part of her role, she raised significant funds through state and federal grants for product and business development, and she brings that experience to grant writing for PORCH.

Laura, the mother of three grown boys, has seen firsthand the speed with which children can empty a well-stocked fridge. She can only imagine the stress parents face when their monthly budgets are stretched too thin to adequately feed their growing children. Helping to relieve at least a little bit of this stress is a very important cause, one that Laura is proud to support over the past ten years through PORCH. Her primary duties include using her marketing degree from Virginia Tech to promote our hunger relief effort within the community, assisting with the distribution of non-perishable foods to local pantries, and supporting the Food for Families program by packing and delivering fresh produce to local families. Outside of her work with PORCH, Laura has been active in the PTAs at her sons’ schools and as a parent committee member of their Boy Scout troop.

Mary Ann, PhD, is the Executive Director and President of the Public School Forum of NC. Her work at the Forum focuses on ensuring that every child in NC has access to a high quality and equitable education. Mary Ann previously served as Chair, Vice Chair, and a member of the Chapel Hill Carrboro City School Board of Education. Mary Ann served on the Board of the CHCCS Public School Foundation and as the Board liaison to Food for Summer during her time on the School Board. Her experience in education and in our community, along with her commitment to supporting the whole child, provides an important context for PORCH’s mission. Mary Ann and her family have been a part of our public schools and community for twelve years and greatly appreciate the critical role that PORCH plays in supporting our families and children.

Susan is one of the three founders and directors of PORCH. She is also a founder and director of the nonprofit Orange County Living Wage, a volunteer-driven organization that certifies and promotes Orange County businesses that pay a living wage and assists workers seeking living wage jobs. In 2019, Susan was elected to Carrboro Town Council, and in 2021, she was elected as Council’s Mayor Pro Tem. Susan is thankful to live in a community where local government strives to meet everyone’s basic needs, nonprofits help to fill in the gaps, neighbors take care of neighbors, and there is dignity in work.

Debbie is one of the three founders and directors of PORCH. She manages PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro’s fresh Food for Families program, growing participation by nearly 20-fold since 2010. Debbie’s favorite parts of her job include working directly with recipient families and school social workers, recruiting and managing wonderful volunteers, overseeing finances, and collaborating with the many other organizations that partner with PORCH.

Erin brings her visionary leadership, passion for food justice, and community-building skills to PORCH in her role as Executive Director.

In addition to prior non-profit advocacy work and numerous volunteer roles, her past experience includes over 15 years as a community college educator and student champion. Chief among her many projects include collaborating with students to create Durham Technical Community College’s robust campus food pantry and spearheading the creation of interconnected holistic student supports for student parents and those experiencing housing insecurity and other basic needs challenges. Erin also led a statewide alliance of other college pantries, created the college’s civic and community engagement office, and wrote a college success textbook that has been utilized by community colleges across the state to help first-generation students navigate higher education.

A resident of Chapel Hill since 2004, Erin is passionate about developing inclusive, equitable solutions to engage and support our Chapel Hill and Carrboro neighbors.

Sofia comes to PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro with experience from both grassroots non-profit organizations and the medical field. They are passionate about using their skills to build sustainable structures and bring like-minded professionals together to better the lives of others. As volunteer and communications manager, Sofia works with our team of talented and committed volunteers to serve our participating families as well as produce content to show our community what PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro is all about. When not at work, you can find Sofia at home baking or with husband Cole on one of Orange County’s many hiking trails.

Robin joined in July 2023. Robin is responsible for procurement of food and other resources, distribution to our participants, and our Food for Schools program.

Robin has been deeply involved in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community since 2005 both as a small business owner and also as a volunteer in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district. Robin’s family has been volunteering with PORCH for years, and she is committed to PORCH’s mission and continuing the relationships that have been developed.

Robin enjoys the very special moments she has with her husband and her two daughters. She loves a good cup of coffee, cooking, traveling, and kayaking.

Alyssa joined PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro in 2026 and is part of our Family Engagement Team. She has a background in social work and uses her passion for food justice and building relationships to support PORCH’s participant engagement activities. She is committed to fostering a sense of community and belonging for everyone through her work. In her free time, Alyssa loves spending time outdoors, baking, reading, making art, and cooking with her partner, friends, and family.

PORCH welcomed Lucky in early 2023. Lucky manages, maintains, and develops all aspects of our programs. She is also the Spanish interpreter and the main contact for all of our families enrolled in our Food for Families program.

Prior to accepting this role, Lucky was a volunteer for the Town of Chapel Hill Food Distribution at Eubanks Road. She’s also served as the Spanish interpreter for PORCH since May 2022. She is passionate about PORCH’s mission to provide fresh, healthy food to those in our community.

Lucky enjoys spending quality time with her husband, her daughter, and her two sons. She loves dancing, gardening, crafting, and volunteering.

Zerena is the Development and Administrative Coordinator at PORCH, where she manages all donations and internal stewardship development. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management at UNC – Chapel Hill. She is passionate about food policy, child maternal rights, and syndromic surveillance to address social inequalities within our community. Prior to joining PORCH, she worked with USDA focusing on WIC and SNAP policy research. During her summer breaks she pioneered program development and fund management for nonprofit organizations in her home country of Honduras. In her free time, you may find her traveling, hiking the Carolina West coast, cooking or dancing at salsa socials.

Ever since I can remember me I’ve always like to discover, learn and observe something new. Probably that is why I chose to learn International relations at the Kiev International University (Ukraine). I got a Master degree of Country Studying and International Relations. When I was a student I had an opportunity to participate in a Work&Travel Program. Then as a student I visited USA first time and got a lot of life experience. In Ukraine I used to work as a Supply Chain and Logistic Manager in a Furniture Company and in a Pharmaceutical Factory for a long period, that gave me a chance to cooperate with customers from European countries and China, improve skills and achieve new ones. During last 2 years in USA I’ve also got experience in Customer Service and Hotel hospitality service. Out of work time I spend with my family, baking and discovering new interesting places, landscapes.

Nowadays the life is very unpredictable and sometimes challenging, need to enjoy it right now!

Jacob is one of our newly hired Market Assistants at PORCH. Jacob comes to PORCH with medical experience and community service experience. Jacob grew up in a PORCH family in our Chapel Hill-Carrboro community. He has experienced firsthand the impact PORCH’s assistance can have on a growing child. When not at work, Jacob is pursuing his goal of becoming a registered nurse and has recently been accepted into an ADN nursing program! In his free time, Jacob enjoys baking, playing video games, and spending time with his family!

Vera joins PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro after relocating from the New England area. She brings her experience in supporting nonprofits focused on food access, having worked as both a food pantry manager and a food educator. In her role as Market Coordinator at PORCH CHC, Vera will provide day-to-day operational support for the market and continue her commitment to building a more equitable food system. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, writing, and perfecting her cookie recipes.