Guilford County appoints Carolyn Thompson as County Attorney, effective Feb. 2, 2026

Carolyn Thompson will assume the role of Guilford County Attorney on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, after being appointed by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. The board said Thompson’s experience will strengthen legal guidance for county operations, an important development for residents who rely on county oversight of services ranging from public health to child welfare.

Thompson arrives with more than 27 years of legal and judicial experience. Her résumé includes service as a District Court Judge and a Superior Court Judge in District 9, and a September 11, 2023 appointment to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. She also has served as a deputy commissioner on the North Carolina Industrial Commission in a quasi-judicial capacity presiding over workers’ compensation cases. At the county level, Thompson worked as county attorney for Departments of Social Services in Vance and Warren counties, served as in-house counsel advising a county board of commissioners on employment law, risk management and governance, and managed a private practice for over 10 years. Her community work includes service as an ordained minister and volunteer mentoring for teen and truancy courts. Thompson earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a concentration in criminal justice from Hampton University and a Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law.

Board chairman Skip Alston praised the appointment, saying, "Attorney Thompson brings exceptional legal expertise, integrity, and public-service experience to this role," and added, "We are confident that her leadership will strengthen our organization and support the board and county staff in advancing our goals." Thompson, in the county statement, said, "I am honored to join the Guilford County leadership team and contribute to the advancement of the ‘One Guilford’ initiative for the benefit of all residents."

Thompson succeeds Andrea Leslie-Fite, who left Guilford County in October 2025 to become Charlotte city attorney; Leslie-Fite’s last day in Guilford County was Oct. 31, 2025. During the interim, former Interim County Attorney Matt Mason returned from retirement to lead the attorney’s office, and local reporting suggests Mason will step down after Thompson assumes the position.

The county published the appointment on its news feed alongside other personnel and public notices, including the naming of Budget Director Toy Beeninga as Deputy County Manager and a public-health alert reporting a skunk that tested positive for rabies on Jan. 30, 2026, in Whitsett. The county government office is located at 301 W. Market St., Greensboro, and operates Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For residents, the immediate significance is clearer legal leadership for the Board of Commissioners and county departments as policy decisions, contracts, and litigation arise. The county has not yet disclosed whether Thompson will retain any state posts she has held; local officials and county staff will oversee the transition beginning Feb. 2, 2026.