It’s a two-fer this week!

Here’s a fun date idea: Go canvassing together! Andrew and Marnie Ross, a married couple from Chapel Hill, have done this seven times with FLIP NC. It turns out life partners make pretty great canvassing partners, too. Known for their gourmet cooking, they also host FLIP NC’s data entry team meetings monthly at their home – and they feed our number crunchers quite well!

Marnie grew up a military kid. She has now lived in North Carolina for a combined total of 17 years, the longest she’s spent in one state. She works at UNC.

Andrew grew up with parents who traveled the world and lived in impoverished countries when they were young. He was taught from an early age to get involved in order to see the change he desired for society – and to fight for those unable to fight for themselves. He has lived in Chapel Hill since 2007 and works for a retired business owner and philanthropist. Here, a Q&A with the couple.

Isabel, a Chapel Hill resident, is the daughter of two public servants. Her mother was a public school teacher in New York City, and her father was a union organizer. Her professional career has had many dimensions to it – both in the private sector (trade book publishing in New York City) and the public sector (as a social worker at the Chapel Hill Police Department and the founder of a nonprofit focused on adolescent mental health). Currently, she works at Book Harvest in Durham, an organization that is devoted to addressing inter-generational poverty by ensuring that access to literacy resources and supports are available to every child. While Isabel considers herself a bit of an agitator and activist, she generally defines herself as a wife and mother above all things. Especially germane to her involvement with FLIP NC, her son Will Guzzardi is a state representative in Illinois from the 39th District in Chicago. “My son is fighting the good fight in a state that, while traditionally Democratic, still bears the trappings of entrenched power struggles and budget challenges,” Isabel says. “Will is teaching me so much about how to advocate for legislation that protects workers and wages, education, and the economy. It’s a tough world our legislators live in.” Here, a Q&A with Isabel.

Mark is retired from NCDOT, where his job before moving into management was meeting with property owners to acquire the right of way for new road projects – everything from paving dirt country roads to building I-540. His first extensive canvassing was in Chicago, often for candidates not supported by “the Daley machine,” such as George McGovern in 1972. “I admired some things about the machine, such as the starter jobs they provided to some low-income youth, but it wasn't reliably progressive, to say the least,” Mark says. Here, a Q&A with Mark. 

Kumi is an infectious disease epidemiologist on the faculty of UNC's school of public health. Her focus on HIV prevention forces her to contend with issues like health care access and chemical dependency. Even though she sees nothing “political” in these issues, the current climate has turned her into an accidental activist. The Chapel Hill resident had never canvassed before FLIP NC. Now she has three canvasses and some text banking under her belt! We appreciate her making the time, especially considering her travel schedule for work. Here, a Q&A with Kumi.

Introducing Laura Ritchie, a Raleigh native who works in medical administration. Laura discovered FLIP NC when she encountered a canvassing team walking up the driveway of her friend’s house. She’s one of our most loyal canvassers, despite having never been particularly active with politics before she crossed paths with us. We love the energy she brings to our organization. Here, a Q&A with Laura.