Sherri's Experience

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Litigated for the City of Durham. Created legal side of Durham's affordable housing program, including legal structuring of housing programs and projects; Community Development; affordable housing bonds, bond compliance. Also solid waste, recycling, yard waste, landfill gas-to-electricity project; real estate acquisition and sales, conservation easements; Parks and Rec; and much more. Managing attorney for the office for a decade, overseeing support staff, job reviews, management systems.

Developed 22-home prototype environmental neighborhood in Durham Co. (later annexed into City) achieving density with environmental preservation. Every house included 'universal design' for accessibility for those with varied physical abilities. Remains most energy-efficient neighborhood in NC. For more info, see: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/green-homes/green-neighborhood-in-north-carolina

Created business helping owners sell their homes by owner through package of advice, advertising and contract review.

Represented low-income clients, specializing in defending tenants, community economic development. Part of team that brought the first two challenges against big NC banks under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), achieving investment in affordable housing, low-cost accounts and bank branches in low-wealth communities.

Co-counseled anti-discrimination lawsuits at trial in North Carolina.

Corporate Manuals Coordinator. Brain-melting job that drove me to law school. The sexism convinced me that without a higher degree, I would be low-paid and unbearably patronized in trying to earn a living. 

Africa News was a labor of love. For a history major concentrating on Africa, reading and writing about that varied continent was pure pleasure, except when suffering writer's block.

DJ, WDBS-FM, Durham; Dishwasher / Late-night clean up, Somethyme Restaurant, Durham; Clerk, Regulator Bookstore, Durham; Chamber Maid, Teton Village, WY; Clammer on the Great South Bay; Day Care for toddlers, Durham.

Delegate from Watts-Hillandale to the INC. Helped analyze and write report to City Council and the community on a private text amendment proposed by Raleigh developer Jim Anthony (SCAD) that would re-write Durham's Development Ordinance.

Member of committee chaired by Ellen Reckhow, former Co. Commission Chair, working on public advocacy. Leading team drafting a Development Scorecard for use by citizens.

Every election, I volunteer for voter protection work. This last election, I was part of the statewide Boiler Room team, addressing escalated problems. During early voting, you could find me as a legal observer inside voting places. After the election, I covered three counties during absentee ballot observation.

Part of NC team supporting election of LGBTQ people to public office. 

Coordinating Committee Member circa 1993-1997. 

2015-2019 Founding Coordinator of Task Force created by City Council, County Commissioners, Durham School Board, DSS Board of Directors and Health Department to coordinate efforts to combat child sexual exploitation and trafficking. 

President for 2 terms, 2013-2014.

Board of Directors, 2008-2013.

Director of the neighborhood association board.

In 2002, I led the fight to gain domestic partner benefits for City of Durham employees. After eventual success at the City, I co-led the campaign for County employees to get these benefits. This was when only opposite-sex couples were allowed to marry. I then made sure the City policy included all people, without reference to gender. In 2003, I received these two awards, one from the NC Human Rights Campaign, the other from the City of Durham.

Vice Chair, Board of Directors. Also provided pro-bono representation at the NC Utilities Commission. Statewide organization advocating for renewable energy. 

Founding Board Member. President. Cohousing residents participate in the design and management of their neighborhood. As a result, a very high proportion of the greenest, most energy-efficient and relatively affordable housing in the US is in cohousing neighborhoods. 

Founding Board Officer. Racism in sales and rental of housing continues, even though it has been against the law for a long time. This center advocated for Fair Housing action, including reviving the practice of sending 'testers' into the community to see if housing unavailable to people with darker skin tone was available to people who look 'white.' The Fair Housing Center is now part of the NC Justice Resource Center.

Founding Board Officer. Provided housing for people with HIV. At this time, there was no approved treatment for HIV/AIDS. People were coming to Duke and UNC hospitals to participate in clinical trials while living in cars. Or having been thrown out of housing when their HIV status was discovered. We had to get state regulations changed to allow people with HIV to be in 'family care homes,' which are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. 

Board of Directors, Chair of the Board. Fund dedicated to strengthening small businesses owned by women or minority group members or located in rural areas. Also the arm of Self-Help doing progressive urban redevelopment to strengthen existing communities. 

Heard and decided appeals from property tax valuations after a particularly troubled revaluation.

Public representative on local Superfund committee responsible for hazardous materials emergency planning. Service on this local government committee was an extension of my "Right to Know" advocacy for discovery of toxic emissions using SARA (Superfund Reauthorization Act). 

Created a stipend fund to relieve low-income minority students from the need to work while studying to take the bar exam.