RALEIGH — State House Speaker Tim Moore’s chief of staff is leaving the post for a job within the University of North Carolina system.
Bart Goodson has been at the post since 2017, helping Moore and House Republicans advance their agenda and negotiate with Senate Republicans and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. He’ll become senior vice president for government affairs at the system, Moore’s office said.
A day later, Berger’s office announced that Andrew Tripp will become the system’s general counsel and a senior vice president.
Goodson will be replaced by Neal Inman, the current general counsel. It’s the same position Goodson held before he was elevated to chief of staff. Inman previously worked for then-Gov. Pat McCrory.
Moore also announced that Senior Policy Adviser Dan Gurley will now be deputy chief of staff and keep overseeing transportation issues. Trafton Dinwiddie is also now a policy adviser.
Tripp has worked under in the state Senate since Republicans took over the Senate following the 2010 elections. Tripp was first the attorney for then-Senate Rules Committee Chairman Tom Apodaca. He then became Berger’s general counsel in 2015 and succeeded longtime Berger aide Jim Blaine as chief of staff in 2018.
Both Berger and Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue praised Tripp for his service.
“Andrew’s respect for the people who serve and work here is apparent to anybody who knows him,” Blue was quoted as saying in a Berger news release. “He treats everybody with respect and honesty, regardless of their political party.”
The news release said Tripp’s successor would be announced in the coming days.
