NORTH CAROLINA INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION

Help Line: (800) 688-8349, (919) 716-1700, or infospec@ic.nc.gov
Fraud and Insurance Compliance Hotline: (888) 891-4895 or fraudcomplaints@ic.nc.gov

Deputy Commissioners Section

NCIC Deputy Commissioners

Mission Statement

The Deputy Commissioners, Special Deputy Commissioners, and Legal Assistants of the North Carolina Industrial Commission endeavor to fairly, impartially, and efficiently adjudicate contested claims by careful application of the law; by adherence to rules and procedures; by encouraging settlement wherever possible; and by providing timely and excellent customer service to all parties.

Who We Are

Deputy Commissioners expeditiously resolve all controversies between injured workers, employers, carriers, providers, various citizens of the State of North Carolina, and the State of North Carolina that arise under the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act and the North Carolina State Tort Claims Act. We provide citizens an opportunity to be heard in a professional, ethical, and courteous manner and render legally sound and impartial decisions after thoroughly considering the positions of all parties and the law. We seek to promote the goals and maintain the integrity of the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act and the North Carolina State Tort Claims Act and promote their administration. Deputy Commissioners conduct full evidentiary hearings throughout the State, hear administrative motions, conduct administrative appeal hearings, review complex agreements, review settlement agreements, and handle other matters. Typically, litigants do not have contact with the Deputy Commissioner Section until a claim is assigned to an individual Deputy Commissioner. The Deputy Commissioners are judicial officers, and the Deputy Commissioner section does not provide legal advice or advocate for any party.

Master List of Cases for Docketing

The Workers' Compensation Master Docket is available on the NCIC Online Services Center. The docket is a dynamic list that is updated automatically as changes are made by the Commission. Please consult the Master Docket regularly for the latest docketing information. You may subscribe to receive an email notice when each month’s set of cases to be set for hearing is placed on the master docket.

Deputy Commissioners' Decisions

The NC Industrial Commission provides public access to databases that allow citizens to access information about Workers' Compensation cases and Tort claims. Deputy Commissioners' decisions may be viewed by searching the appropriate database.

NCIC OpenText™ Content Server Databases

The Industrial Commission offers public access to four databases:

Deputy Commissioner: Decisions since 1994
Full Commission: Decisions since 1994
N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals: Slip opinions since 1994
Statutes: N.C. Rules and General Statutes related to Industrial Commission matters

The Enterprise search option allows the public to search all four databases simultaneously.

Click here to access the OpenText™ Content Server Databases

NOTE: To log in to OpenText™ Content Server, type public in all lowercase letters in both the Username: and Password: text boxes, and then click the Log-in button.

For suggestions on how to generate more productive searches, see Search Tips.

Deputy Commissioners

Below is a list of the Deputy Commissioners and Support Staff along with their contact information. Deputy Commissioners may be contacted by phone through their Legal Assistants.

NC Industrial Commission General Contact Information can be found HERE

Name Title Email Phone
Kevin V. Howell Chief Deputy Commissioner kevin.howell@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2511
        Diane Ball Legal Assistant diane.ball@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2515
Robert J. Harris Senior Deputy Commissioner robert.harris@ic.nc.gov
    Sandra Cortes Chief Legal Assistant sandra.cortes@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2529
Elias Admassu Deputy Commissioner elias.admassu@ic.nc.gov
    Stacey Rush Legal Assistant stacey.rush@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2669
Mary Claire Brown Deputy Commissioner mary.claire.brown@ic.nc.gov
    Amanda Yzquierdo Legal Assistant amanda.yzquierdo@ic.nc.gov (980) 523-9987
Matthew Buckner Deputy Commissioner matthew.buckner@ic.nc.gov
    Sandra Cortes Legal Assistant sandra.cortes@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2529
ToNola Brown-Bland Deputy Commissioner tonola.brown.bland@ic.nc.gov
    Jonathan Benimana Legal Assistant jonathan.benimana@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2543
Michelle Denning Deputy Commissioner michelle.denning@ic.nc.gov
    Kristen Hughes Legal Assistant kristen.hughes@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2518
Lori A. Gaines Deputy Commissioner lori.gaines@ic.nc.gov
    Kyle Jones Legal Assistant kyle.jones@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2627
Anne Harris Deputy Commissioner anne.harris@ic.nc.gov
    Stacey Rush Legal Assistant stacey.rush@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2669
Celeste Harris Deputy Commissioner celeste.harris@ic.nc.gov
    Stacey Rush Legal Assistant stacey.rush@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2669
Kevin V. Howell Deputy Commissioner kevin.howell@ic.nc.gov
    Diane Ball Paralegal diane.ball@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2515
David Mark Hullender Deputy Commissioner mark.hullender@ic.nc.gov
    Amanda Yzquierdo Legal Assistant amanda.yzquierdo@ic.nc.gov (980) 523-9987
Ashley M. Moore Deputy Commissioner ashley.moore@ic.nc.gov
    Kristen Hughes Legal Assistant for
Workers' Compensation and Contempt Matters
kristen.hughes@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2518
Thomas H. Perlungher Deputy Commissioner thomas.perlungher@ic.nc.gov
    Kyle Jones Legal Assistant kyle.jones@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2627
Layla T. Santa Rosa Deputy Commissioner layla.santarosa@ic.nc.gov
    Jonathan Benimana Legal Assistant jonathan.benimana@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2543
Alexander Westwood "Wes" Saunders Deputy Commissioner wes.saunders@ic.nc.gov
    Amanda Yzquierdo Legal Assistant amanda.yzquierdo@ic.nc.gov (980) 523-9987
Tiffany Mack Smith Deputy Commissioner tiffany.smith@ic.nc.gov
    Crystal Snow Legal Assistant crystal.snow@ic.nc.gov (980) 523-9988
Erin F. Taylor Deputy Commissioner erin.taylor@ic.nc.gov
    Crystal Snow Legal Assistant crystal.snow@ic.nc.gov (980) 523-9988
William B. Wallace Deputy Commissioner william.wallace@ic.nc.gov
    Crystal Snow Legal Assistant crystal.snow@ic.nc.gov (980) 523-9988
Patrick S. Wooten Deputy Commissioner patrick.wooten@ic.nc.gov
    Diane Ball Paralegal diane.ball@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2515
Tamika Jenkins Special Deputy Commissioner tamika.jenkins@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2540
Janet "Jes" Miller Special Deputy Commissioner janet.miller@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2653
Autumn Shipman Special Deputy Commissioner autumn.shipman@ic.nc.gov (919) 807-2545

Mailing Addresses

When sending correspondence to the Deputy Commissioners Section via US Mail, please use one of the following addresses:

Main Office:
Deputy Commissioner "Name"
NC Industrial Commission
1236 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1236
Charlotte Regional Office:
Deputy Commissioner "Name"
NC Industrial Commission
P.O. Box 34337
Charlotte, NC 28234
Wilmington Regional Office:
Deputy Commissioner "Name"
NC Industrial Commission
P.O. Box 12974
Wilmington, NC 28405
Winston-Salem Regional Office:
Deputy Commissioner "Name"
NC Industrial Commission
1236 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1236