by Ben Humphries, EducationNC
February 4, 2025
North Carolina’s long legislative session for the 2025-26 biennium has officially begun.
A new state budget for the next two fiscal years is on the table, and in the education space there has been talk of addressing school voucher funding and policy, teacher pay, Hurricane Helene relief, and new approaches to education funding, like a weighted student funding formula.
Below you will find a list of recently announced House committees pertaining to education, along with each committee”s members and their role, political party, home district, and occupation, if listed on the General Assembly’s website.
At the bottom of the page, you can also find the staff of House Speaker Rep. Destin Hall, R-Caldwell.
Education — K-12 Committee
Chairs:
Rep. Brian Biggs, R-Randolph: Realtor
Rep. Tricia Ann Cotham, R-Mecklenburg
Rep. David Willis, R-Union: Small business owner
Vice Chairs:
Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke: Retired attorney
Rep. Cecil Brockman, D-Guilford: Legislator
Rep. Heather H. Rhyne, R-Lincoln: Pharmacist
Rep. Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland: Retired
Members:
Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, R-Henderson: Mortgage loan officer
Rep. Cynthia Ball, D-Wake: Mediator
Rep. Gloristine Brown, D-Pitt
Rep. Laura Budd, D-Mecklenburg: Attorney
Rep. Aisha O. Dew, D-Mecklenburg: Consultant
Rep. Julia Greenfield, D-Mecklenburg: Retired nurse
Rep. Frank Iler, R-Brunswick: Retired
Rep. Jake Johnson, R-Polk: Real estate
Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth: Consultant
Rep. Brandon Lofton, D-Mecklenburg: Lawyer
Rep. Marcia Morey, D-Durham: Chief district court judge, retired
Rep. Larry W. Potts, R-Davidson: Real estate investor, building contractor
Rep. Dennis Riddell, R-Alamance: Marine engineer, educator, and thermographer
Rep. Mike Schietzelt, R-Wake: Attorney
Rep. Phil Shepard, R-Onslow: Retired civil service, minister
Rep. John A. Torbett, R-Gaston: Legislator
Rep. Julie von Haefen, D-Wake
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Education Appropriations Committee
Chairs:
Rep. Brian Biggs, R-Randolph: Realtor
Rep. Tricia Ann Cotham, R-Mecklenburg
Rep. David Willis, R-Union: Small business owner
Vice Chair:
Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke: Retired attorney
Members:
Rep. Cynthia Ball, D-Wake: Mediator
Rep. Cecil Brockman, D-Guilford: Legislator
Rep. Wyatt Gable, R-Onslow
Rep. Zack Hawkins, D-Durham
Rep. Monika Johnson-Hostler, D-Wake: Executive Director of the NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Rep. Ray Pickett, R-Watauga: Self-employed
Rep. Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe: University admissions
Higher Education Committee
Chairs:
Rep. Kelly E. Hastings, R-Gaston: Realtor
Rep. Ray Pickett, R-Watauga: Self-employed
Vice Chair:
Rep. Timothy Reeder, MD, R-Pitt: Physician, East Carolina University Emergency Medicine
Members:
Rep. Jay Adams, R-Catawba: Commercial real estate broker
Rep. Jerry “Alan” Branson, R-Guilford: Stout Trucking, Inc.
Rep. Mark Brody, R-Union: Contractor
Rep. Gloristine Brown, D-Pitt
Rep. Terry M. Brown, Jr., D-Mecklenburg: Attorney
Rep. Becky Carney, D-Mecklenburg: Legislator, former county commissioner
Rep. Todd Carver, R-Iredell: Retired law enforcement
Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Swain: Retired fire captain, Charlotte Fire Department
Rep. Ted Davis, Jr., R-New Hanover: Retired attorney
Rep. Wyatt Gable, R-Onslow
Rep. Zack Hawkins, D-Durham
Rep. Beth Helfrich, D-Mecklenburg: Writer/editor, small business owner
Rep. Julia C. Howard, R-Davie: Appraiser, realtor
Rep. Neal Jackson, R-Moore: Pastor
Rep. Monika Johnson-Hostler, D-Wake: Executive Director of NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Rep. Abe Jones, D-Wake: Attorney
Rep. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth: Consultant
Rep. Tim Longest, D-Wake: Attorney
Rep. Howard Penny, Jr., R-Harnett: Retired agribusiness
Rep. Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe: University admissions
Rep. Renée A. Price, D-Orange: Consultant
Rep. Heather H. Rhyne, R-Lincoln: Pharmacist
Rep. James Roberson, D-Wake: Sr. Dean and CCO, Wake Technical Community College’s Western Wake Campus
Rep. John Sauls, R-Lee: Minister
Rep. Brian Turner, D-Buncombe: Real estate
Rep. Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland: Retired
Rep. Donna McDowell White, R-Johnston: Registered nurse, aging specialist
Staff of Destin Hall, House speaker
Kari Cobb – Executive/Legislative Assistant
Courtney Taylor – Director of Digital Media
David Cobb – Policy Advisor
Demi Dowdy – Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and External Affairs
Grace Irvin – Policy Advisor
Jeffrey Elmore – Senior Policy Advisor
Julia Garrison – Director of Operations
Kenan Drum – Deputy General Counsel
Lewis King – Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Budget
Neil Inman – Chief of Staff
Sam Hayes – General Counsel
Sumit Gupta – Deptuty General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor
William Cobb – Policy Advisor
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