Dr. Johnnie C. Larrie, Esq. is a social justice advocate, community lawyer, community economic development specialist, facilitator, and author whose work focuses on advancing housing justice, racial fairness, economic opportunity, environmental resilience, and community-led transformation. With more than 30 years of experience spanning law, public policy, housing advocacy, and community development, she has dedicated her career to helping vulnerable individuals and communities navigate barriers to stability while building pathways toward long-term community well-being. Dr. Larrie currently serves as Executive Director of Legacy Bridge NC, a Black-led nonprofit organization rooted in East Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Through Legacy, she is helping lead a community-driven effort to transform more than 34 acres of remediated Brownfields land into a catalyst for affordable housing, entrepreneurship, environmental restoration, educational opportunity, and community wealth-building. Her work emphasizes resident engagement, anti-displacement strategies, community stewardship, and equitable development practices that allow historically marginalized communities to thrive in place. In addition to Legacy's land-based development work, Dr. Larrie is helping advance innovative housing stabilization initiatives through the East Winston Navigator Academy, a community-centered model being designed to help residents better navigate housing, landlord-tenant, fair housing, and related legal systems. The initiative combines community education, housing advocacy, legal navigation, and leadership development to strengthen housing stability and reduce displacement pressures. Her work reflects a belief that equitable development must be paired with meaningful access to information, advocacy pathways, and resident voice. Prior to joining Legacy Bridge NC, Dr. Larrie spent more than two decades with Legal Aid of North Carolina, where she served as Consumer Practice Group Manager and led the Economic Justice Initiative. In that role, she helped develop statewide strategies addressing foreclosure prevention, housing instability, consumer protection, and economic security for vulnerable North Carolinians. She received the Deborah Greenblatt Outstanding Legal Services Attorney Award in 2021 for exemplary demonstration of her efforts to help meet the needs of North Carolinians experience poverty. Dr. Larrie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Canisius College, a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law, and both a Master and Doctorate in Public Administration from North Carolina State University. She is also a writer and essayist whose writing explores themes of justice, leadership, community stewardship, Black identity, and social transformation. Her current writing projects include Echoes in the Hallways -Black Girl Experiences in Nonprofit Legal Services, Black Boy Down, and Sistah Lettahz, a collection of soulful poetry. Dr. Larrie raised two boys, ages 23 and 24, and resides in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with her husband, Reggie. She enjoys gardening, listening to soulful jazz, reading, working with children, and taking long walks and hikes on North Carolina’s many greenways.