Floyd McKissick, Jr.
Senator McKissick served in the North Carolina from 2007 to 2020. He represented Senate District 20 in Durham County, however, during his tenure, his district included both Durham and Granville Counties. He served as the Senior Deputy Democratic Leader in the Senate and he was the longest serving Democratic Member of the State Senate, as well as being the 4th in seniority among the Senate’s 50 members during his tenure. He served as Chairman of the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus from 2010 to 2012; Chairman of Durham County’s Democratic Party from 2005 to 2007; as a Member of Durham’s City Council from 1993-2001; and as a former Member of Durham’s Board of Adjustment and of Durham’s Joint City-County Planning Commission.
Senator McKissick received his JD from Duke University’s School of Law and his Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University’s John F. 2 Kennedy School of Government, where he specialized in the Management of State and Local Government and Diplomacy. He also earned a Master’s in Regional Planning (MRP) from the School of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he specialized in Land Use Planning and Financial Management, and an AB in Geography from Clark University in Worcester, MA. Senator McKissick has been an attorney for 36 years, and he has represented Fortune 500 companies as well as small businesses and individuals during the course of his career.
Prior to attending law school, Senator McKissick was a leading expert on large-scale, mixed-use developments, and he lectured on such projects at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville’s School of Architecture. In addition, he was a co-instructor at North Carolina Central University’s School of Law, where he taught courses in Civil Rights Litigation and Law Office Management with his father, the late Judge Floyd B. McKissick, Sr. Senator McKissick currently serves as an Accenture Visiting Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. He’s also been a guest speaker and lecturer at numerous universities.
Senator McKissick has received the following awards:
• 2009 NC Housing Coalition’s Legislator of the Year
• 2009 NC Justice Center’s Defender of Justice Award
• 2009 NAACP Trailblazer Award for Leadership relating to the NC Racial Justice Act 3
• 2009 North Carolina Police Benevolent Society’s Legislator of the Year relating to HB 816
• 2011 “Distinguished Leadership” Award from the NC Division of American Planning Association • 2011 Medal of Valor for Excellence “Move” Award from National Multiple Sclerosis Society
• 2011 Smart Growth America’s Leadership Award for National Leadership relating to Smart Growth Initiatives and Initiatives relating to Sustainable Development
• 2013 Legislator of the Year Award from the NC Metropolitan Mayor’s Coalition
• 2014 Legislator of the Year Award from the NC Humane Society
• 2015 Stella J. Adams Fair Housing Advocate Award from the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina
• 2016 Bertha B. Holt Leadership and Courage Award from Planned Parenthood of the South Atlantic
• 2016 Green Tie Award as Senator of the Year from the NC League of Conservation Voters
• 2016 North Carolina League of Municipalities’ Community Champion Legislator of the Year Award
• 2016 Regional Legislator of the Year 2016 from National Black Conference of State Legislators (NBCSL)
• 2017 Champion Award from ERA NC 4
• 2017 Outstanding Leadership Award from African American Caucus of the Wake County Democratic Party
• 2017 Chief’s Legislative Leadership Award from the NC Association of Chiefs of Police
• 2017 Crystal Gavel Award for Distinguished Leadership with the National Black Caucus of State Legislators
• 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from Christ Saves Hearts Foundation
• 2018 Friend of School Psychology Award from NC School Psychology Association
• 2018 Economic Justice Award from the Southern Anti-Racism Network (SARN)
• 2019 Legislative Champion Award in Mental Health from the 41st Annual Breakfast on Mental Health Collaborative
• 2020 Public Service Award from the NC Childcare Services Association
• 2020 Green Tie Award (The Joe) from the NC League of Conservation Voters
Senator McKissick was the Primary Sponsor of approximately 35 bills which have been signed into law. He was also the Co-Sponsor of approximately 109 bills which have been signed into law.
Senator McKissick received national recognition as the Primary Sponsor of North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act, for his leadership on sustainable 5 development issues, for legislation he has introduced which has served as national models for Automatic Expunction, such as the Second Chance Act, as well as for his leadership in sponsoring legislation for Regulated Transportation Networks, such as Uber and Lyft.
In 2019, Senator McKissick was nominated by Governor Roy Cooper to serve on the NC Utilities Commission, and his nomination was confirmed by the NC Senate and the NC House. He began serving on the Commission in 2020 for a six-year term.