Aired on February 22, 2026

• Quality Education, Veterans, SAVE Act

Representative Valerie Foushee moved through the ranks breaking through as the first black women in several posts. In 1987 she began working as a secretary for the Chapel Hill Police Department. Wanting to be more involved in children’s education, in 1997 she was elected to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, serving until 2004. She was then elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners where she was the first black woman elected to this seat and served for eight years. In 2012, Foushee was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives — the first woman and the first black woman elected to represent this district — and in 2013 she was selected to fill a vacancy in the North Carolina Senate caused by the resignation of Eleanor Kinnaird. Listen in and meet our guest:

Valerie Foushee is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District. She assumed office in January 2023 after serving nearly a decade in the North Carolina General Assembly. In the 119th Congress, Rep. Foushee holds several key positions including Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics (Committee on Science, Space, and Technology), and Co-Chair of the House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy.  Recently her key areas of legislative focus and advocacy have been Immigration, Environment and Healthcare, Accountability, and Campaign Finance

“On The Porch” is hosted by Randolph ”Randy” Voller. He is also the publisher of Chatham County Line. Randy welcomes guests to the show who are from the communities of art, academia, business, and politics for friendly and informative conversations. “On The Porch” airs every Sunday at 11:06 AM, and is repeated at 5:06 PM and 8:06 PM on WCHL-FM 97.9. The show also streams on ChapelBoro.com
Current and previous shows of “On The Porch” are posted as on-demand, ad-free podcasts at ChapelBoro.com, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
To be a guest on the show or send us a comment, email: ontheporch@wchl.com