NC’s new governor: Josh Stein fills out staff, including those who’ll work with lawmakers
Welcome to the governor edition of our Under the Dome politics newsletter. I’m Dawn Vaughan, The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief.
New North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein was sworn in at the historic Capitol building on Jan. 1, and his formal, public inauguration ceremony is on Saturday. He’s already issued five executive orders and filled out his staff.
The latest people to join Stein’s administration have key legislative and research jobs. They are:
▪ John Lucey, legislative director: Lucey has federal government experience, previously serving as senior advisor to the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs for Implementation and deputy associate administrator for the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Lucey also worked at the state level, including as legislative liaison at the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. And he worked on former Gov. Roy Cooper’s campaign for governor.
▪ Amber Harris, deputy legislative director: Harris spent a decade at the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, including as policy and advocacy director. She also has experience at the General Assembly as a legislative assistant for three former senators and Sen. Joyce Waddell.
▪ Sunila Chilukuri, deputy legislative director: Chilukuri has been the legislative liaison at the N.C. Department of Justice and previously worked for Cheri Beasley’s Senate campaign.
▪ Juan Molina, research director: Molina joins Stein’s administration after working on his campaign staff as deputy research director.
And before the holidays, Stein announced his leadership team, including chief of staff. They are:
▪ Seth Dearmin, chief of staff: Stein is keeping his chief of staff from the N.C. Department of Justice, when Stein was attorney general. Dearmin had been chief of staff at DOJ since 2017, and before that ran Stein’s 2016 attorney general campaign.
▪ Jasmine McGhee, deputy chief of staff and senior adviser: Stein chose another top lieutenant from his time at DOJ. McGhee was senior deputy attorney general in the agency’s Consumer Protection Division.
▪ Laura Brewer, deputy chief of staff and external advisor: Another pick from his time as attorney general, when Brewer was deputy chief of staff there, leading policy and communications work.
▪ Christie McNeill, deputy chief of staff and chief operations officer: McNeill has led Stein’s transition team and worked previously at McKinsey & Company, where she was a partner in its financial services practice.
▪ Sarah Boyce, general counsel: Another DOJ pick, Boyce served as deputy attorney general and general counsel there.
The rest of Stein’s leadership team are Chief Deputy General Counsel Tiffany Lucas, Deputy General Counsel South Moore, N.C. Recovery Advisor Jonathan Krebs, Intergovernmental and Outreach Director David Webb, Communications Director Kate Frauenfelder, Office of Constituent Engagement Director Tracy Lovett, Boards and Commissions Director Jacqueta Rascoe and Operations Director Louise Warenda.
On Friday, my News & Observer colleague Anna Roman, who covers Raleigh and Wake County government, reported that Wake County Commissioners Chair Matt Calabria is resigning his seat to take a job in the Stein administration. As of Friday afternoon, Calabria had not said what the position would be.
How to watch Stein’s inauguration
The inauguration is this Saturday at 10 a.m. on the Capitol grounds. The Capitol is on the block of Union Square at the center of downtown Raleigh, and bordered by Edenton, Salisbury, Morgan and Wilmington streets. There is street parking and parking garages nearby. Expect some road closures, as there will be a block party on Fayetteville Street at 11 a.m., after the ceremony. The party will have musical performances, food trucks and vendors.
You can request tickets at ncinauguration.org/events.
Stein’s inaugural address will have the theme of “North Carolina Strong” as the western part of the state recovers from Helene storm damage.
If you want to watch the ceremony without coming downtown, PBS North Carolina will air the inauguration live.
The Junior League of Raleigh is hosting the Inaugural Ball on Saturday night.
Finishing out the weekend’s events, there will also be an open house at the Executive Mansion, 200 N. Blount St., from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12.
Stay informed about #ncpol
Listen to our Under the Dome podcast to stay up to date. On our new episode posting Monday, I’m joined by Korie Dean and Kyle Ingram as we talk about what to expect this week at the legislature and inauguration.
You can sign up to receive the Under the Dome newsletter at newsobserver.com/newsletters. Want your friends to get our email, too? Forward them this newsletter so they can sign up. You can also email me questions you may have about Gov. Josh Stein at dvaughan@newsobserver.com.
This story was originally published January 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "NC’s new governor: Josh Stein fills out staff, including those who’ll work with lawmakers."
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