Jerry Meek (born 1970) is a

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

business and tax litigation attorney and

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

activist who was the chairman of the

North Carolina Democratic Party The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh. Governor Roy Cooper is a North Carolina Democrat. Since the 2010 passage of ...

from 2005 through 2009.

Life and career

Jerry Meek became involved in Democratic Party politics at age 13, as a volunteer for Democratic nominees in the 1984 election. As a teenager, he served as President of the State and National Teen Democrats. At age 17, he was elected as the youngest delegate ever elected to a

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

. After graduating from high school, he attended

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

. Three and a half years later, he graduated magna cum laude and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

from Duke, double majoring in Economics and Political Science. Meek then won a fellowship to study at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

, where he completed a master's degree in Government. In the fall of 1995, Meek returned to North Carolina to attend Duke Law School, completing his law degree in 1997. While in college, Meek served as a precinct Chair in the

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberlan ...

Democratic Party and as an officer in the 7th Congressional District Democratic Party. At age 25, Meek was elected Chairman of the Cumberland County Democratic Party, an office he held while commuting from Fayetteville to Durham to attend Duke Law School. In 1998, Meek was the Democratic nominee for the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

from Cumberland County's 18th House District. Between 1999 and 2002, Meek was a partner with a Dallas, Texas-based law firm, practicing in the area of mental health law. In 2002, Meek returned to work for a Fayetteville firm, while running the Cumberland County Democratic Party's coordinated campaign for the fall of 2002 election. In February 2003, Meek was elected First Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. In February 2005, he was elected Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party over Ed Turlington. He was unanimously re-elected to another 2-year term in January 2007. As State Chair, Meek worked aggressively to rebuild the State Party’s grassroots network, to expand services and support to local party organizations, to make better use of technology, and to encourage new people – especially young people – to become active in the Democratic Party. He retired as party chair in 2009, and was succeeded by David Young.State Democrats seat new leader
In 2011, Meek graduated with distinction from

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

, with an LLM in Tax Law. In 2012, after four years as a partner at Poyner Spruill LLP, Meek opened his own law firm in the Charlotte area. He continues to primarily represent clients in business and tax matters.

References

External links

From the North Carolina Democratic Party's Website

Jerry Meek on Twitter
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meek, Jerry 1970 births Duke University School of Law alumni Living people North Carolina Democratic Party chairs North Carolina Democrats North Carolina lawyers University of Notre Dame alumni