Greg is first and foremost the father of two amazing daughters, Wren (5) and Poppy (2), and husband to his amazing and inspiring wife Emily. He is also the co-owner of a strategic communications firm, GBW Strategies, which he has operated since 2008. He helps clients like Google and Google Fiber, American Tobacco Campus, Aetna, and Raleigh’s annual bluegrass festival tell engaging stories to their audiences. He is also an avid reader, terrible writer, and struggling minimalist which he frequently writes about for the blog No Sidebar. He lives in Briar Chapel where he can be seen  taking his Australian Shepherd/Lab mix Lexi on at least one hike a day.

 

Jennifer lives in Briar Chapel with her husband, Doug, and two sons, Colin and Carson.  She grew up in the Chicago area but has been living in North Carolina for almost 25 years.  She teaches literature, film, and writing in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at UNC-Chapel Hill. Jennifer enjoys lattes, vegan baked goods, Christmas movies, and swimming.

Jim was born in High Point, North Carolina and grew up attending the First Presbyterian Church of High Point. He graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville NC with a degree in Business Administration, having gone there originally as a music major. While at ECU he met Jo Ann and they married in 1972. His career was in the Property/Casualty Insurance field in both Greensboro and Chapel Hill. He earned his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation in 1993.  Jim and Jo Ann retired in 2002 and soon bought a motor home, traveling throughout the US and Canada. During these trips they got into birding, a hobby they still enjoy. They have traveled all over playing golf, including many times to Scotland. He earned his USCG Captain’s License in 2014 and they enjoyed cruising in Coastal North Carolina for many years. In the summers he volunteers at the Historic Orchard at Altapass on the Blue Ridge Parkway. He was an Elder at Trinity Ecumenical Parish in Moneta, Virginia before transferring his membership to Chapel in the Pines in 2016.

Melissa is a native of Philadelphia; she moved to Greensboro at age 11 and generally considers herself a North Carolinian. Her college years were spent in Massachusetts at Smith College but after a brief stint working in Washington, D.C., she returned to North Carolina for graduate studies at UNC. A lifelong Presbyterian, Melissa settled back in her hometown where she raised a son and a daughter who are both grown and happily married. After a twenty-five year tenure in Burlington in manufacturing, she transitioned to a career in nonprofit management and fundraising with the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. In 2003, after a divorce, she moved to Raleigh and began a career in university development with NC State College of Textiles, UNC and later UNCG. She also worked locally with several nonprofits. A member of White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, she became involved in a wide variety of church programs including training as a Stephen Minister. She retired in 2015 and relocated to Chapel Hill with her partner Bob Vavrina, who died in 2018  . She loves living in Chatham County where she enjoys the many cultural activities, as well as hiking, reading, and spending time with family. Melissa takes great pleasure in being a grandmother to her grandsons and also stays active playing tennis and bridge.