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Raleigh, NC – North Carolina Speaker-Designate Destin Hall today announced the incoming staff for the Office of the Speaker of the House.
“These talented individuals bring a wealth of experience and dedication to our team. Their expertise will help the North Carolina House deliver for the people of this state,” said Speaker-Designate Hall.
Neal Inman, Chief of Staff
Inman has served as Chief of Staff in the Speaker’s Office since December 2020. He has worked in a variety of roles for North Carolina Republicans, including Senior Advisor to the North Carolina House Republican Campaign Committee, General Counsel to the Speaker, House Rules Committee Counsel, and Associate General Counsel to Governor Pat McCrory. Inman earned his BA in history from Campbell University and his JD from UNC School of Law. He lives in Johnston County with his wife, Hannah and their three children.
Demi Dowdy, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and External Affairs
Demi Dowdy has served as Director of Communications in the Speaker’s Office since May 2021. Dowdy brings 15 years of public policy and communications experience, including over ten years in North Carolina politics, to the Speaker’s Office. Prior to her service in state government, she worked with local and national think tanks, including the Civitas Institute, where she served as Communications Director, and Concerned Women for America in Washington, D.C. She lives in Holly Springs with her husband Jason and their labradoodle.
Lewis King, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Budget
Lewis most recently served as a Government Relations Advisor for Raleigh-based Manning, Fulton & Skinner, P.A (ManningFulton), advising a range of organizations including small businesses, trade organizations, non-profits, local governments, and more. Prior to joining ManningFulton in 2020, Lewis served as a policy advisor to Speaker Tim Moore, managing a diverse set of policy and budget issues including energy, environment, natural resources, agriculture, local government, regulatory reform and more. Lewis began his legislative career in 2013 as a research assistant for Speaker Thom Tillis. Through years of General Assembly experience, Lewis offers strong legislator relationships, experience navigating interested stakeholders, and extensive experience in helping members craft public policy.
Sam Hayes, General Counsel
Mr. Hayes has served as General Counsel in the Speaker’s Office since February of 2021. Prior to that, he served as General Counsel at the NC Department of State Treasurer and the NC Department of Environmental Quality in the McCrory Administration. Mr. Hayes began his career with the international law firm of Arnold & Porter LLP in Washington, DC. He earned his BA in economics from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his JD from Wake Forest University School of Law. He currently serves on the Board of Visitors at UNC Chapel Hill and lives in Raleigh with his wife, Adriane, and their two children.
Kenan Drum, Deputy General Counsel
Drum has served as House Rules Counsel since January 2022. Prior to that, he worked for Senate Leader Phil Berger as a Policy Advisor. Before his career in State government, Drum practiced employment law with one of North Carolina’s largest law firms. He earned his B.A. with a double major in Spanish and History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Sumit Gupta, Deputy General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor
Sumit has served as Deputy General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor to Speaker Tim Moore since January 2024. He previously served as House Majority Deputy Director/Senior Counsel for the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations at the North Carolina General Assembly. In 2015, he began a six-year term as a Deputy Commissioner at the North Carolina Industrial Commission and was Chief Deputy from April 2018 to March 2019. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Commissioner, Sumit served as the Commission’s General Counsel. He is a former partner at Stewart, Schmidlin, Bullock, & Gupta located in Smithfield, North Carolina. Sumit also served as an assistant district attorney in Johnston, Harnett, and Lee County.
He received his JD from Wake Forest University School of Law, his MBA from the Wake Forest University Babcock School of Management, and his BA in political science from UNC Chapel Hill. Sumit lives in Raleigh, NC with his wife and two daughters.
Julie Garrison, Director of Operations
Garrison has been a member of the Speaker’s staff since 2012, serving with both Speakers Tillis and Moore. She has served in various roles as Director of Constituent Relations, Director of Boards and Commissions and now Director of Operations. Prior to her service in state government, Garrison worked on Capitol Hill for Senator Jesse Helms and worked in the Bush administration at the Departments of Labor and Education. She is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and currently serves on their Board of Visitors.
Courtney Taylor, Director of Digital Media
Most recently, Courtney served as Deputy Digital Political Director at the National Republican Congressional Committee and worked on targeted races across the country. Courtney has an extensive background in federal, state, and local campaigns and has held senior roles on multiple high-profile races.
Jeffrey Elmore, Senior Policy Advisor
Following six terms as a Representative in the North Carolina House, Jeffrey Elmore is serving as Senior Policy Advisor for the Speaker of House. Professionally Elmore was an educator with Wilkes County Schools for 22 years. Prior to his NC House tenure, Elmore served as a North Wilkesboro Town Commissioner, statewide President of Public Educators of North Carolina (PENC), was Wilkes County Teacher of the Year in 2004 and served on several public service boards. During his tenure in the North Carolina House, Elmore chaired various committees and was an Appropriations Chairman for two terms.
David Cobb, Policy Advisor
David has been a dedicated member of Speaker-Elect Hall's team since 2018. Prior to his time at the N.C.G.A., he served as the N.C. state director for a national collegiate political organization. David has taken on various roles in Hall's office over the past seven years. A proud graduate of Appalachian State University, David holds a B.S.B.A. in Accounting. He lives in Johnston County with his wife, Makenzi, and their two children.
William Cobb, Policy Advisor
William has served the North Carolina House in several different capacities, including Policy Advisor to the Deputy Majority Leader as well as the Political Director for the NC House Republican Caucus. William is a proud Western North Carolinian and holds a political science degree from Appalachian State University.
Grace Irvin, Policy Advisor
Irvin has worked at the North Carolina Legislature since February 2020. She has served in the Speaker’s office for the past four years in a variety of roles including, Legislative Assistant, Research Assistant and Policy Advisor. Irvin is a Raleigh native and earned her BA in Political Science and her Master of Public Administration from North Carolina State University.
Kari Cobb, Executive Assistant
Kari has been serving as Speaker Hall’s assistant since March 2022. She manages scheduling, constituent relations, and office operations. She is a proud NC State graduate.
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