The chief of staff for North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger is stepping down to take a position within the University of North Carolina system.
Thursday’s announcement that Andrew Tripp will become the system’s general counsel and a senior vice president comes a day after House Speaker Tim Moore announced Chief of Staff Bart Goodson was leaving for another job within UNC’s general administration.
Tripp has worked under Berger or his top lieutenant since Republicans took over the Senate following the 2010 elections. Tripp was first the attorney for then-Senate Rules Committee Chairman Tom Apodaca. He then became Berger’s general counsel in 2015 and succeeded longtime Berger aide Jim Blaine as chief of staff in 2018.
Both Berger and Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue praised Tripp for his service.
“Andrew’s respect for the people who serve and work here is apparent to anybody who knows him,” Blue was quoted as saying in a Berger news release. “He treats everybody with respect and honesty, regardless of their political party.”
The news release said Tripp’s successor would be announced in the coming days.
Photo via the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
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