Writer

Ruth Ann Grissom grew up on a farm in Montgomery County and earned degrees in journalism and social work at UNC Chapel Hill. She divides her time between Charlotte and the Uwharries.

Elyse Hamilton-Childres, MSW, has a concentration in management, policy, and community practice from the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Elyse is the Prevention & Intervention Services Director for Mecklenburg County Community Support Services, where she oversees domestic violence, substance use, and violence prevention programs. Elyse is a former intern of the Charlotte Urban […]

Trish Hobson has served in leadership roles in non-profits in both volunteer and staff roles for over 20 years. Since 2016, Trish has served as Executive Director of The Relatives, an organization dedicated to helping youth and young adults move from crisis to stability and to become contributing members of our community. Specifically, The Relatives […]

Aaron has lived in Charlotte since he was eight years old. He is a graduate of Independence High School of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Davidson College, and Harvard Law School. He earned a Ph.D. in political science from Duke University. Aaron was an Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at Queens University of Charlotte and former […]

Dr. Mecca Howe (formerly Burris) is a research associate II at the Charlotte Urban Institute where she focuses on community-engaged applied research. Dr. Howe has been conducting community collaborative research since 2016 in the United States and Costa Rica. She is passionate about using holistic approaches and mixed methods to conduct research with the goal […]

Expertise

• Racial Wealth Gap
• Integrated Data Systems
• Education
• Health

A veteran, award-winning journalist, Mae Israel is a former assistant metropolitan editor with The Washington Post and worked as an editor and reporter with the Charlotte Observer. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she enjoys travel, yoga, hiking, and all things related to rivers, lakes and beaches. Click here to […]

Rachel Jackson-Gordon is a former Research Associate at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati’s Educational Studies’ Research Methods program, where she focused on Educational and Community-Based Action Research. Rachel has worked in the research and evaluation field for six+ years.

Greg Jarrell is a writer and independent scholar based in Charlotte. He works and writes and race, place, and faith. Greg is author of Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Making – and Taking – of Neighborhoods, forthcoming in January 2024 from Fortress Press. He is a co-founder at QC Family Tree in the Enderly […]