The following bio is that of an event speaker or guest author. This person is not directly affiliated with the John Locke Foundation.
Andrew T. Heath is the Director of the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC), appointed to the position by Chief Justice Paul Newby on January 8, 2021. The NCAOC is the administrative agency for the Judicial Branch, providing support services for more than 6,400 employees and hundreds of courthouses and facilities in every county of the state.
Judge Heath has served on the Superior Court bench since 2016, presiding over hearings and trials in civil in criminal matters in nearly half of the 100 counties across the state. Prior to serving as a judge, Heath served on Governor McCrory’s Senior Leadership Team as the North Carolina Budget Director, managing the Office of State Budget & Management.
Heath was Chairman of the North Carolina Industrial Commission for three years beginning in 2013. Heath practiced law in Wilmington, North Carolina. He started out representing indigent clients in DSS matters, juvenile court and criminal court before transitioning to insurance defense litigation.
Judge Heath received a B.S. in Business Administration and Management from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where he played Division I soccer. He earned his J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, and an LLM from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom.