Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

I'm a Cabarrus County native and a 1991 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School.  I completed a degree in Psychology from the UNC -- Chapel Hill in 1995, where I served as a research assistant for Dr. Donald Baucom.  As an RA in college, I discovered that I had a gift for service and a passion for problem -- solving.  The summer before my senior year of college, I had an internship at the Rowan County Courthouse.  What began as a way to spend my summer not working in the heat ended up as an eye -- opening world of new possibilities.  Don't ask me where the Political Science Department was located, because I never took a class in college.  My plans for law school took a detour after graduation, when I took a full -- time position as a Student Housing Manager at UNC.  A year later I was in Champaign, IL, having taken a promotion at the University of Illinois.      

I never lost sight of my desire to pursue a legal career, so I enrolled at Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, VA in 1998.  I was living in the Midwest at the time.  It was cold, and the winters were harsh.  I couldn't imagine a better climate than the beach, and Regent University was a Christian law school.  I was intrigued at the idea of combining the study of law with Christian values.  While attending law school as a visiting student at the University of Illinois, I made some contacts there.  I graduated from Regent a semester early, then accepted an invitation to work for the Baptist Student Foundation in Champaign, IL.  In 2001, I returned to North Carolina, passed the bar exam, and started a general law practice in Concord, where I've served with distinction.  I was elected President of the Cabarrus County Bar in both 2005 and 2006.

The legal system can be complex and intimidating for anyone, but the judicial branch of government was designed to work for everyone, regardless of whether or not you have ever appeared in court.  Help to bring a conservative voice to the courts of Cabarrus County, a great place to live, to work, and to raise a family.

We need judges who are fair to all parties, who will give their full attention to the issues in a case, keep an open mind as they listen to the evidence, and render an impartial decision, applying the applicable law to the facts presented. 

We need judges who respect the law and its origin, keeping in mind the intent of the legislature in creating the law, the work of law enforcement in upholding the law, and giving full faith and credit to the higher courts who interpret the law.

We need judges who possess both the necessary legal skills and administrative skills for the bench, making sure that our courts work efficiently and effectively for the citizens of Cabarrus County.