Debbie Harris Leads North Carolina County Clerks Association In 2022
Debbie Harris is Clerk to the Board of Davidson County. She was installed as president of the North Carolina County Clerks Association on March 17, 2022. Debbie previously served as chair of the NCBA Paralegal Division (2017-2018). In the following interview, she discusses her presidency, her NCBA leadership, and her paralegal background and education, which is instrumental in her current position.
For Debbie Harris, becoming the president of the North Carolina County Clerks Association was a meaningful moment. She describes it as both heartwarming and humbling.
“I have seen who has been in the shoes before me and what they’ve done and how they’ve moved us forward. And to know that I am in that position now – it is daunting. I have some big shoes to fill for the folks who have served before me, but serving as the chair of the NCBA Paralegal Division has prepared me for what I am getting ready to undertake.”
The installation took place during the association’s 2022 annual conference, held in Concord at Great Wolf Lodge. During the ceremony, the new board of directors and the executive committee of the association were also recognized.
Debbie, who serves as the Clerk to the Board in Davidson County, has been a member of the North Carolina County Clerks Association (NCACC) since the mid-2000s. She was on the board of directors for three years before serving as treasurer, secretary, and vice president (2021-22). She also serves on several committees with the NCACC, and as chair of its Membership Committee.
In 2019, she was selected by the NCACC as Clerk of the Year.
Originally from Gallipolis, Ohio, Debbie has worked in the legal field since 1987. In 1989, she moved to North Carolina. A member of the North Carolina Bar Association since 2006, Debbie is the chair of two committees with the NCBA Paralegal Division, the Bylaws Committee and the Scholarship Committee. She serves as the liaison and secretary to the Juvenile Justice and Children’s Rights Section, and as a liaison to the Senior Lawyers Division. Debbie has volunteered for North Carolina Bar Foundation’s Middle School Mock Trial Competition in North Wilkesboro, the Wills for Heroes program in High Point and 4ALL Statewide Service Day.
Debbie has also been a part of the NCBA Annual Conference Planning Committee.
“I truly enjoy that committee because it has allowed me to meet so many different individuals over the years. That is what it teaches you: how to work well with others, because so many folks bring different ideas and thoughts to the table. Everyone is there for the betterment of the association.”
Her dual memberships in the NCACC and the NCBA have played an important role in her life: they have empowered her to grow as a leader, to cultivate professional relationships and to be a resource for others.
“Folks I have met during my networking and the experiences – they are invaluable,” she shares.
She remarks that her role as chair of the NCBA Paralegal Division was especially significant in preparing her for her role as NCACC president.
“At the Bar Association, we operate under the framework of the Bar Association when you’re a chair of the division, and this, we pretty much have free reign, but I know that it is important to work within a framework. Just because you are elected as the president of an association does not mean that you own things, and it is very important to me that all of the folks around me have a say, that everyone has a say, because it is about the association, and not about me.”
Debbie Harris, center, sworn in as president of the NCACC on March 17.
One of her goals as president is to lead the association in its efforts to modernize existing frameworks. She mentions that in 2022, the NCACC will expand their online presence by employing their Facebook page and by updating their website, which she hopes will provide as many resources as possible for members, and they have launched the use of Constant Contact to enable them to get messages out more quickly to their members.
A second item slated for an update this year is the NCACC’s logo, which is in the process of receiving a new look. The original logo, created in the ‘80s, was rebranded in the past year, and members had the opportunity to preview the new design at the conference.
“We had rave reviews and hope to have something finalized by our next meeting in August for the membership to be able to vote to have the new logo, so we can bring this into the new millennium.”
She also mentions a change that occurred in the last two years: the use of Zoom technology opened the door for a greater number of meetings than in years past. While virtual meetings became the norm after the pandemic, the ability to meet online led to more frequent meetings, and this trend will continue.
“Our association traditionally only met three times per year. Zoom has allowed us to do a whole lot more. We have had a lot more Zoom meetings, and a lot more meetings in person. The more you meet, the more you can do to further the goals.”
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Because contributing to the good of the community is important to the NCACC, serving together will be a priority during the upcoming year. The association had its first service project on March 18, when members cleaned up litter in downtown Kannapolis. Service projects are an opportunity for clerks across the state to volunteer as a team and on behalf of others.
Debbie has plans in the works for an event that will make a positive impact on students.
“The Association of County Commissioners has a conference in August of each year. This year, it is back in Concord at Embassy Suites, and we are planning to do a Stuff the Bus campaign for school systems in Cabarrus County. We are going to push the event through the Association of County Commissioners and invite all of them, the managers and staff. We are going to challenge them to bring items to help us fill the bus.”
Debbie is in the process of planning another event: Davidson County’s 200th Bicentennial celebration. While plans for the Bicentennial began in 2020, the pandemic necessitated a pause in the preparations, which are now underway. The Bicentennial is tentatively scheduled for November 22, which is the day the legislature recognized Davidson County as separate from Rowan County.
“Now that we are on the other side, people have gotten used to staying at home and not doing a whole lot, so getting big events planned is hard.
“Our main goal out of the Bicentennial is to do as much as we can to educate our citizens on the vast history of Davidson County. We are planning smaller tours around the county that we are going to document and videos and vignettes, so that we can post them on our different web pages, so we can educate and push them out to our school system and across our social media platforms and get them out to our citizens, so they can learn what a neat history Davidson County has.”
It is Debbie’s hope that these upcoming initiatives will strengthen the association’s impact on its members and on citizens in North Carolina.
Encouraging Paralegals to Step Outside Their Comfort Zone
In addition to serving as president of the association, Debbie works as Clerk to the Board in Davidson County. She makes a difference in the lives of paralegals and students in North Carolina by speaking with them about the value of being a paralegal – specifically, how paralegal training prepares one for a position outside a law firm, such as the role of a clerk. She hopes that other paralegals and students see how paralegal skills can serve as an important foundation.
“In my speaking to our paralegal schools throughout the state during my ten years on the Council for the NCBA Paralegal Division, and even after I went off the council as the past chair, I’ve always told folks, ‘Keep your options open. Keep your eyes open.’ Because the traditional role of a paralegal may not be the only thing you are a fit for.”
In her position as Clerk to the Board, Debbie relies on the abilities she developed through her paralegal education and training.
“I honestly think with the evolution of time that the knowledge base that a paralegal has is going to be more and more important in doing this job because there are a lot of responsibilities that trickle down and end up on your shoulders, and the background that that paralegal brings helps you navigate the role a whole lot easier and quicker than someone who doesn’t come in with that experience.”
What are the most important skills that transfer between the two positions?
“Critical thinking and research,” she says.
“So much of what we do is based on what is going on in the General Assembly, keeping track of the legislation that is coming down, making sure that we implement the right things – that we are following the letter of the law as set out in the statutes. Having the legal background makes this job easier to do because you understand general statutes, you understand how they are set out, how to look things up, how to follow things.
“I track the legislative reporting service through the School of Government on a daily basis when the legislature is in session so I can keep track of the different bills and things that are coming through that can touch anything the county does. We’ve got 26 different departments and touch a great deal of everything that goes on in the county, so we try to make sure we know all the legislation that is coming down.”
Beyond the research Debbie undertakes in her role, there is an overlap between some of her other responsibilities and the role of a paralegal. Debbie compiles the minutes for board meetings, and minutes are especially significant to maintaining the records of the county.
“To me, minutes – after doing orders for so many years through juvenile court and the domestic attorney I had in High Point – minutes are a lot like orders. They are what is decided, what is talked about in that meeting. You are basically keeping the history of what is transpiring with the county through these minutes, which are basically the same thing as keeping the historical aspects of a court proceeding through orders.”
There are similarities between being a paralegal and a clerk, and there are also differences.
“A lot of times, I am the face of the office – the first person that folks come to. When I was a paralegal, I was not necessarily that person. People think I have the answers to everything. And having that legal background and knowing where to go find something really makes this job a lot easier.
“One of my requirements back to our folks here was that I was able to keep all of my paralegal certifications and keep that current because I had worked for so many years to build the career I had.”
Debbie is not alone in moving from the position of paralegal to clerk, as she shares that other clerks have also worked as paralegals.
“The clerks who I know who are paralegals have all kept their certificates, so they are all certified paralegals as well. They have kept that in their roles. So even though I am not called a paralegal, I am a paralegal.”
What advice would Debbie give to new clerks who are looking to excel?
“To expand your horizons, to always be looking for more answers, and always reach out to your sisters and brothers for help. The mentors are there in the association just the same as they are in the Paralegal Division. That, to me, is another way we go down the same path. Help is always there if you need it.”
By pursuing knowledge, joining together with others and leaning on friends in the field, new clerks can find guidance for their practice and illumination that will fuel their work and service in years to come.
Jessica Junqueira is communications manager for the North Carolina Bar Association.