Profiles

Shefali Luthra is The 19th’s reproductive health reporter covering the intersection of gender and health care. Prior to joining The 19th she was a correspondent at Kaiser Health News, where she spent six years covering national health care and policy.

Amanda Becker is The 19th’s Washington correspondent. She has covered the U.S. Congress, the White House and elections for more than a decade.

MaryBe McMillan is president of the NC State AFL-CIO. MaryBe grew up in Hickory, NC, and has been a longtime advocate for workers’ rights.

Flor Herrera-Picasso, co-founder and Executive Director of Casa Azul de Wilson, is a first-generation Mexican-American dedicated to fostering education equity and cultural inclusion in rural North Carolina.

Elena Egge is Cardinal & Pine’s summer intern. She is a Charlotte native entering her final year at Washington University in St. Louis, where she majors in International Relations and Film & Media Studies.

Lisa Grafstein represents Senate District 13 in Wake County. She was first elected in 2022. Senator Grafstein has been a civil rights lawyer since 1995, working on issues related to disability rights, health care access, voting rights, employment issues, and race and gender discrimination. She has been included in Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite and…

Rev. Beth Kennett is a United Church of Christ minister, and a consulting and coaching ministries coordinator from Burlington, NC