Winston-Salem's trailblazing city attorney set to retire after decades-long career

Winston-Salem City Attorney Angela Carmon has announced her retirement after 36 years. She was the first African American woman to hold the position.

The Winston-Salem native graduated from Howard University and went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received her Doctor of Law degree. She later worked with the National Labor Relations Board.

Carmon began her career with the city of Winston-Salem in 1988 as assistant city attorney and was appointed chief legal counsel two decades later. During her tenure, she oversaw more than 100 complex legal transactions involving real estate, economic and downtown development agreements and more.

In a press release, Carmon said she’s proud of the relationships she’s built with members of the North Carolina General Assembly over the years, working with them to secure legislation for the city.

Last year, Carmon became the city of Winston-Salem’s highest-paid employee. Last week, she was recognized as one of this year’s Black Business Ink’s Power 100 honorees.

Carmon says she looks forward to more time for travel and family.