Founders

Christine Cotton (pictured at far left) has an MBA degree from Elon University and an MS degree in anatomy and cell biology from SUNY Upstate Medical University. For 10 years, she worked as a pharmaceutical project manager and director of market development at Banner Pharmacaps. Upon moving to Chapel Hill with her husband and two sons, Christine served as the executive director and was a founding member of the Children’s Fund of North Carolina, a Chapel Hill-based nonprofit organization raising money to support the health and well-being of North Carolina’s children. She has also been very active in the public schools, serving as president of several school PTAs and as a board member of the Public School Foundation. Christine currently works as a project consultant for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. It is the combination of her devotion to volunteerism, dedication to serving others, and professional marketing background that led Christine to the founding of PORCH. She hopes to continue to utilize her skills and compassion to develop PORCH into a continuously growing organization that will be relevant in and beyond the local community for years to come.

Debbie Horwitz (pictured in middle) grew up in Chicago, graduated from the University of Michigan, and luckily landed in Chapel Hill after 8 years in the D.C. suburbs. Debbie’s experience in the business world as a real estate appraiser, breastfeeding counselor, and parenting educator has given her useful knowledge in her journey to her position as director of PORCH. But Debbie would credit the running of her household as the mother of four children as the most valuable and practical job experience for developing the skills needed to operate an organization like PORCH. While raising kids, one learns firsthand the importance of patience, organization, thoughtfulness, responsibility, cooperation, and compassion. In addition to these skills, she has years of experience in hunger relief, volunteering for various local nonprofits including the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service and her synagogue, Judea Reform Congregation. She has also served the community as a longtime, devoted volunteer with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

Susan Romaine (pictured at far right) earned a B.A. in history from the University of Virginia and then served as a legislative aide for U.S. Congressman Harley O. Staggers, Jr. She then earned her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, after which she became an associate at Charles Rial Associates, an economic development consulting firm based in Chicago. She relocated to Boston, where she served as associate director of the Tax Equity Alliance for Massachusetts. She then moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where she worked as a research analyst for Service Employees International Union. In 2004, Susan moved with her family to Chapel Hill persuing her labor of love in hunger relief while also volunteering in the public schools and with her church, St. Thomas More Catholic Church. In 2013, she was elected vice chair of the Orange County Democratic Party and in 2015, she founded Orange County Living Wage. In 2019, Susan was elected to a four-year term on Carrboro Town Council. Susan and her family feel very connected to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community through friends and neighbors and the many walking trails and greenways.