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Commencement Speaker: Dena J. King

Professional headshot of Dena J. King smiling in a black blazer and statement necklace against a blurred office background.

The Honorable Dena J. King served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina from November 2021 until February 2025, after being nominated by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and confirmed by the United States Senate. Ms. King was the first person of color to serve in this role. 

With nearly two decades in public service, Ms. King served as the chief federal law enforcement officer in charge of all criminal and civil matters filed in the U.S. District Court in the Western District. She led an office of approximately 100 federal prosecutors and staff, located in Charlotte and Asheville, which served over three million residents throughout North Carolina’s 32 westernmost counties.

Under her leadership, the Office focused its efforts on the protection of civil rights; enhancing public safety; recovering taxpayer dollars; combatting health care fraud, financial fraud and COVID-19 fraud; disrupting drug trafficking and gun trafficking networks; uncovering public corruption and financial fraud schemes; protecting vulnerable populations from exploitation including older adults and children; prosecuting human traffickers and supporting victims; pursing repeat offenders and drivers of violent crime; and overseeing affirmative civil enforcement actions and other civil litigations.

Throughout her tenure as United States Attorney, Attorney King prioritized strengthening partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders. She also engaged in outreach and crime prevention efforts, including initiatives to enhance public safety and strengthen community engagement.  Among them is her development of the first-of-its-kind campaign aimed at preventing illegal firearm purchases and reducing gun violence, entitled Think Again.  The Think Again campaign combined a multi-media dissemination of information, to include 30-second radio spots, public service announcements, social media messaging, and billboard advertisements along North Carolina interstates, designed to increase awareness about gun crimes and underscore the dangers of illegal firearms purchasing or misuse.

She created the first-of-its-kind U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp, a program that helped high school students gain a greater understanding of a career in the law and experience the work of practicing litigators. Participating students received instruction on evidence collection and trial preparation and concluded the program by participating in a mock trial at the federal courthouse before a federal judge.   

Prior to becoming the United States Attorney, Ms. King served as the Deputy Criminal Chief at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina, overseeing the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Section. She also served as an Assistant United States Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina, where she prosecuted narcotics, organized crime, and violent crime cases. Attorney King served as an Enforcement Attorney with the Securities Division of the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, where she prosecuted white collar crimes across the state. She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Mecklenburg County.

Now, Attorney King serves as a Partner at Parker Poe Adams and Bernstein LLP, where she counsels clients on white collar defense, government and internal investigations, and compliance best practices. She also advises clients across a range of industries, including financial services, health care, and education, and represents them in encounters with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and other prosecutors and regulators.  She represents the Firm in the community by serving on the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee and as the Expunction Champion in Mecklenburg County. Attorney King graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina State University with a degree in Business Management. She received her Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law. Ms. King continues serving the community as a member of the Charlotte Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Piedmont Chapter of the Links Incorporated.  She serves on the Board of Directors for Safe Alliance, a nonprofit organization providing resources to those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault in Mecklenburg County.  Additionally, she serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association and the Minorities in the Profession Subcommittee of the North Carolina Bar Association. She serves as a mentor for the Girls Rites of Passage Mentoring program in Charlotte, NC, and is a member of the North Carolina Central University Charlotte Alumni Chapter.

Attorney King has received a number of awards throughout the years for her legal and public service, including being named as the North Carolina Lawyers Weekly and Mecklenburg Times 50 Most Influential Women in 2025; North Carolina State University Alumni Association’s Meritorious Service Award; North Carolina State University Black Alumni Society’s Legacy Award; the Conen Morgan Trailblazer Award by the North Carolina Black Alliance; and the Public Service with Distinction Award by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.