Lorenza Maurice Wilkins

Lorenza Maurice Wilkins is the Democratic nominee for the North Carolina House of Representatives District 25 in the 2026 election, seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Allen Chesser II on November 3, 2026 ¹. He currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer of the Inter‑Faith Food Shuttle, a nonprofit that recovers and distributes food while teaching self‑sufficiency skills, and is also acting as its interim chief operating officer ¹⁵.

Wilkins earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from North Carolina Central University, where he was a student‑athlete and member of the 3.0 Club, and later completed a Bachelor of Science, an MBA, and a Doctorate in Business Administration through Columbia Southern University ⁷. He is a graduate of the Leadership Triangle and a Goodmon Fellow, and has been inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success ⁴.

His professional career spans more than two decades across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. In the nonprofit arena he has held senior leadership positions including Executive Director of Rebound — Alternatives for Youth, Senior Director of Programs & Operations at Made in Durham, Program Manager for the Triangle Literacy Council, and Executive Fellow with FUSE Corps. In the private sector he worked for technology firms IBM and Motorola and spent nearly a decade with CSX, rising from conductor to locomotive engineer and later to management before accepting a buyout ¹⁵. He also served as Talent Advisor at CSX and held human‑resources leadership roles in other companies.

Wilkins co‑founded the Compass Youth Program in 2009, a nonprofit that provides K‑12 educational programs aimed at career readiness and community engagement ¹⁷. His work has focused on economic development, small‑business support, mental‑health advocacy, and improving educational pathways for youth, themes he emphasizes in his campaign platform: fostering job‑creating businesses, expanding affordable health and human‑services resources, protecting vulnerable communities, and addressing climate‑change impacts in North Carolina [7, 17].

In electoral politics, Wilkins first ran for office in 2024. He secured the Democratic nomination after the primary was canceled and faced Chesser in the general election, losing narrowly by about 1 % (23,234 votes to Chesser’s 23,760) ¹⁵. He rebounded in the 2026 Democratic primary, defeating Harris Walker with 57.1 % of the vote (4,936 votes) to win the party’s ticket for the November 2026 contest ¹. His campaign is organized through the website lorenzawilkinsfornc.com, which provides voter‑information, early‑voting dates, and a list of polling locations throughout District 25 [4, 5].

Wilkins has received endorsements from a range of organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the NC AFL‑CIO, and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which highlighted his role as a “Spotlight” candidate in prior cycles [8, 14]. He continues to advocate for shared prosperity, economic opportunity, and protection of civil rights as he seeks to represent Nash County and the surrounding communities in the state legislature.

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