Vernetta Alston is a Democratic representative for District 29 in the North Carolina House of Representatives, serving Durham County. She currently holds the position of House Democratic Conference Chair during the 2025-2026 session and has served 3.5 terms in the House. An attorney by occupation, Alston was appointed to the House in April 2020 following the death of Rep. MaryAnn Black, after resigning from the Durham City Council where she served from 2017 to 2020. Notable achievements include her work as co-counsel in the exoneration of Henry McCollum, who was wrongfully convicted and spent over 30 years on death row, and supporting a $95 million affordable housing bond on the city council.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Earned a B.A. in Political Science from North Carolina State University and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.
• Political Experience: Began legal career with N.C. Prison Legal Services and the North Carolina Center for Death Penalty Litigation, handling death row and appellate cases. Elected to Durham City Council in 2017; appointed to NC House District 29 in 2020; previously Democratic Freshman Caucus Co-Chair . Currently practices criminal, appellate, housing, and land use law at Tin Fulton Walker & Owen, joining in 2024 after real estate development work.