Allyson K. Duncan

A native of Durham, N.C., Judge Duncan served as a judge on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals from 2003 until her retirement in 2019. She has a distinguished career of several “firsts”: First African American and woman from North Carolina to serve on the 4th Circuit; first African American woman to serve on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and first African American President of the North Carolina Bar Association. Judge Duncan has strived “to treat everyone with whom we come into contact with dignity and respect.” Before joining the 4th Circuit, Judge Duncan was a partner in the Raleigh offices of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, where she focused on government relations and utility matters. After graduating first in her class at Hampton University in 1972, Judge Duncan received her J.D. in 1975 from Duke University’s School of Law. She was elected a Trustee of the Endowment in 2021.