Our Team »
Mark Peres / Founder & President
Mark Peres is founder and president of Charlotte Viewpoint. He is an Associate Professor in the School of Arts & Sciences at Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte Campus, teaching courses on leadership and business ethics. He is a graduate of Rollins College and The Florida State University College of Law. Mark finds joy in the liberal arts, the creativity of friends, and being involved in a great city.
Christina Ritchie Rogers / Editor-in-Chief
Christina holds a B.A. in English from Davidson College and an M.S. in mass communications, with a concentration in multimedia journalism, from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is the editor of CorneliusNews.net, a community-based, daily news website that aims to foster an informed citizenry and build community relationships. She thanks Lila Allen, former Charlotte Viewpoint editor-in chief, for her hard work and dedication to the CV mission.
Elise Anderson / Director of Social Media
Elise Anderson is Director of Social Media for Charlotte Viewpoint. She graduated from Davidson College with a degree in English Literature, minor in French, and a concentration in international studies. When not glued to her computer or smartphone, she’s glued to a book, or completely unhinged as the frontwoman of local garage/punk band Brain F≠. Her favorite part of the day is coming home to her adopted mutt, Minelli, who just might be a black wolf.
Carolie Brekke / Contributing Editor
Carolie Brekke is a Contributing Editor to Charlotte Viewpoint. After years spent touring the United States and Canada with theatre and the circus, co-owning a restaurant, working as a wardrobe mistress in Ireland, teaching outdoor education in the beautiful North Carolina mountains, and living in Sasebo, Japan, she and her husband now live in Virginia. Carolie enjoys her work as a freelance graphic designer, copywriter, and professional storyteller.
Chris Cureton / Image Editor
Chris Cureton is Image Editor for Charlotte Viewpoint. He is also a brand and graphic design consultant. His work is built on the belief that effective communication often relies on consistent and quality visual representations. During free time Chris dabbles in illustration, writing, and music. See examples of his work at ChrisCureton.com.
Donald Devet / Director of Video
Donald Devet is Director of Video for Charlotte Viewpoint. He lived in New York for eleven years where he produced videos for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, as well as documentaries for PBS. He had moved there from Charlotte where he was an instructional television producer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and a professional puppeteer with Grey Seal Puppets. Now that he's returned, Donald is using his 40 years of media and storytelling experience to create one-of-a-kind videos of the people, places, and events of our lives.
Nichole Gause / Fiction & Poetry Editor
Nichole Gause is Fiction & Poetry Editor for Charlotte Viewpoint. Nichole is a local writer whose works include fiction, poetry, plays, and non-fiction. She has several printed works, three theater productions, and numerous awards including a North Carolina Artist Fellowship, a semi-finalist award for the North Carolina State Story Contest, the Mecklenburg County Emerging Artist Award, and a South Carolina Academy of Authors Poetry Fellowship. For fun, she likes making her family do things outside. More information about her work is available at www.nicholegause.com.
Jeff Jackson / Arts & Culture Editor
Jeff Jackson is Arts & Culture Editor of Charlotte Viewpoint. He is a freelance writer covering the arts, founding director of the NoDa Film Festival, and member of the Obie-winning Collapsable Giraffe theatre company in New York City. He is also co-proprietor of www.destination-out.com, an acclaimed website dedicated to avant garde jazz. Jeff received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from New York University and is a three-time fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
Peter Reinhart / Contributing Editor
Peter Reinhart is a Contributing Editor for Charlotte Viewpoint, but his day job is "Chef on Assignment" at Johnson & Wales University, which means, in the words of the song, he goes where they send him. In addition to teaching courses on bread baking and food and culture, he also serves as the university's good will ambassador and speaks to groups and organizations all over the country. He is a regular guest on WFAE's Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins, the author of eight books, and the host and creator of Pizza Quest, a video-based website dedicated to Peter's neverending search for the perfect pizza. He can be found at peter.reinhart@jwu.edu.
Michael J. Solender / City Life Editor
Michael J. Solender is City Life Editor for Charlotte Viewpoint. He has written hundreds of feature articles for regional and national publications. His weekly Neighborhoods column for The Charlotte Observer’s Sunday edition has run since 2008. Solender’s work has appeared in Southern Living, The Faster Times, The Jewish Daily Forward, Richmond Style Weekly, SouthPark Magazine, The Raleigh News & Observer, South Charlotte News, The Viewspaper, Charlotte Jewish News, and many others. He is a University of Minnesota graduate with a Master's degree in Industrial Relations and Bachelor's degree in Communications. An avid blogger, his commentary has been showcased at CLT Blog, and Like The Dew - Journal of Southern Culture and Politics. Read more from Michael at his website here.
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