Assistant clerk Kristie M. Culler will succeed Meredith Tuck Edwards, who was elected to a district court judgeship in November
Alamance County senior resident superior court judge Andrew (“Andy”) Hanford has appointed Kristie M. Culler to serve out the remaining two year term of Alamance County clerk of superior court Meredith Edwards.
Edwards, a Republican who was elected clerk of court in 2018 and reelected in 2022, was elected as the county’s fifth district court judge in the November 5 general election. Edwards will be sworn into office for the judgeship on January 1; her term runs through November 2028.
Hanford announced Culler’s appointment Tuesday morning.
Culler, who is the assistant clerk of superior court and second-in-command to Edwards, has worked for the Alamance County court system for 14 years. Immediately prior to her elevation to assistant clerk of court following Edwards’ election in 2018, Culler worked in the clerk’s civil division.
Culler, 50, brings 31 years of legal experience to the clerk’s post.
In addition to working for the Alamance County court system, she has previously worked in private practice for several attorneys, who include John Paisley, Jr. and R. Nelson Richardson of Graham; the Guilford County court system; and the Alamance County attorney’s office between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Culler elaborated Tuesday morning in an interview with The Alamance News. Her current and past legal experience includes real estate, family, personal injury, business, estates, and criminal law, she said.
“I’ve come up through the ranks,” Culler told the newspaper Tuesday morning. While many clerks of superior court are licensed attorneys, state law doesn’t require clerks of superior court to be licensed attorneys. “There are some wonderful clerks of court who are not attorneys, and I hope to be one of them,” she said.
“I am honored that judge Hanford appointed me,” Culler said, adding that she is a registered Republican – which Hanford, a Democrat, was aware of prior to appointing her as Edwards’ successor. “With the political climate we are in right now, this speaks volumes to reach across party lines. I’ve known judge Hanford for many years and look forward to working with him.”
A lifelong resident of Alamance County and a graduate of Williams High School, Culler said she hopes to continue Edwards’ efforts to keep the clerk’s office running smoothly and efficiently in order to provide the best possible service for the public.
“At the heart of this job, we are public servants,” said Culler. “I love this county; I love these people; I love helping people; and I love [it when] people walk out of here feeling like we’ve made their lives a little easier.”
In the meantime, Culler has been continuing her legal training and education through the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and through the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts.
“It’s been an honor to work under Meredith these last six years,” Culler said in the interview. “I’ve learned so much. She has really been a champion for me, and I would not be where I am today were it not for her.”
In announcing the appointment Tuesday morning, Hanford pointed to Culler’s extensive experience in the legal profession, and her role in implementing the new online filing system, eCourts, throughout Alamance County’s court system this year.
“Ms. Culler possesses a strong track record of leadership, dedication and commitment to ensuring the fair administration of justice,” Hanford noted in a news release. “I am confident she will serve the court system and our community with integrity and professionalism.”
Culler and her husband Dean Culler – who retired in late 2023 as a lieutenant with the Alamance County sheriff’s department and now works part-time as a courtroom bailiff – live in Burlington.
Culler is scheduled to be sworn into office on January 2. Her term runs through November 2026.
