New leader announced for NC unemployment office

A chief deputy at the state unemployment office will now head the office, taking over for a former state lawmaker who was brought in to run things during the COVID-19 pandemic but has now moved to an advisory position in the governor's office.

M. Antwon Keith will be acting assistant secretary for the Division of Employment Security, which processes unemployment claims. The division falls under the state's Department of Commerce , and Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders announced the change in a news release Tuesday.

“DES will benefit from the years of leadership experience and wealth of knowledge in the field of unemployment insurance that M. Antwon Keith brings to this position,” Sanders said.

Keith has worked in workforce development and unemployment insurance in the state for more than 25 years, the release states. He was most recently the division's chief deputy of programs. He's a native of Durham and a graduate of N.C. A&T University.

Keith replaces Pryor Gibson, a former member of the North Carolina House who Gov. Roy Cooper recently named senior legislative advisor as part of the administration's preparations for the 2023 General Assembly session.

In 2020 Gibson replaced DES Assistant Secretary Lockhart Taylor as the division dealt with a tsunami of unemployment claims.