AG announces additional senior leadership team hires
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced additional members of his senior leadership team at the North Carolina Department of Justice on Tuesday.
“These colleagues are smart, public-spirited people who are committed to doing the job right,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “I’m grateful that they’ve agreed to join my team and look forward to working with them to defend and protect the people of North Carolina.”
Stephanie Robinson, general counsel
Stephanie Robinson has served as deputy general counsel and chief records officer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation since 2019 and as lead general counsel for the North Carolina Global TransPark Authority. Prior to these roles, she spent a decade litigating family law and criminal defense cases at The Jeffers Law Firm in Raleigh. A proud graduate of Winston-Salem State University (2006) and North Carolina Central University School of Law (2009), she is actively involved in professional organizations such as the Wake County Bar Association, Capital City Lawyers Association, and Wake Women Attorneys Association. Robinson is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and a charter member of the East Wake-Johnston Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated. She has a passion for community service and enjoys inspiring others through public speaking. Her hobbies include home improvement projects, traveling, and spending time with her son. She resides with her family in Knightdale.
Kelly Chambers, civil bureau chief
Kelly Chambers has served as the senior deputy attorney general of the Department of Justice’s civil division since February 2021. She began working at the department in 1995 after one and a half years in private practice in Raleigh. Since joining the department, Chambers has worked in multiple sections representing a variety of state agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of State Treasurer. Immediately prior to serving as Senior Deputy, Chambers was the Section Head for the Services to State Agencies Section, which represents more than 15 state agencies, boards, and commissions. Additionally, Chambers co-founded the department’s volunteer summer internship program. Kelly received her undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and her law degree from NCCU School of Law. Chambers is from Wake County and lives in Raleigh with her husband and their dog Annabelle.
Boz Zellinger, Criminal Bureau Chief
Boz Zellinger has served as a special prosecutor for the Department of Justice’s criminal division since 2018. Since 2022, he has led the Special Prosecutions and Law Enforcement Section, directing investigations and prosecutions involving crimes against children, public corruption, homicides, and drug trafficking across the state. A Raleigh native, Boz earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his law degree from the UNC School of Law. He began his career as an assistant district attorney in the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, where he spent 10 years specializing in prosecuting cases involving special victims. Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, he worked as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of North Carolina, prosecuting drug, gun, and gang crimes. Boz lives in Raleigh with his wife and two young sons.
Kunal Choksi, Consumer Protection Division Director
Kunal Choksi has served as Special Deputy Attorney General in the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Division since 2022 after joining the department in 2021. Kunal led, among other matters, Attorney General Stein’s successful multi-state trial against Google for its illegal monopoly over search and search advertising. Previously, Kunal served for more than four years as a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice, more than three years as a litigation associate at an international law firm in Washington, D.C. and one year at a law firm in Raleigh representing school boards. Before law school, Kunal was a middle school math teacher in the Bronx, helping found a school and becoming chair of the math department. He is also a currently a member of Raleigh’s Human Relations Commission. Kunal earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his juris doctor from Duke Law School. He was born and raised in Burlington, and now lives in Raleigh with his wife and two young daughters.
Carlye Wittek, legislative director
Carlye Wittek has most recently served as a legislative liaison for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. In that role since January 2022, she focused on both budget and policy issues facing the department. Previously, she worked at a statewide nonprofit and was a Research Assistant at the North Carolina General Assembly, where she worked primarily on issues in the justice and public safety space. Wittek attended North Carolina State University and earned undergraduate degrees in political science and international studies and a master’s degree of public administration. She lives in Raleigh with her fiancé Tommy.
Natalia Botella, interim public protection section director
Natalia Botella is a special deputy attorney general and has served as deputy director of the Department of Justice’s public protection section since 2023. She previously worked as a policy advisor for the Office of Governor Roy Cooper where she focused on public safety issues, leading efforts to align state agencies and departments with the Governor’s goals and priorities. She developed several key public safety initiatives for Governor Cooper, including the Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice, the Juvenile Sentence Review Board, the Office of Violence Prevention, and NC SAFE, an award-winning public service campaign to encourage safe firearm storage. Prior to her time in state government, she was an attorney at Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, working on health care and consumer protection cases. Botella earned both her undergraduate degree in public health and her law degree from UNC Chapel Hill. She is a mom of two.
Tina Wong, interim human resources director
Tina Wong has served as deputy human resources director for the North Carolina Department of Justice since 2024. She joined the office in 2017 and previously served as the assistant HR director at the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer. Prior to that, she was an HR generalist in the technology and civil engineering sectors. Born and raised in Massachusetts, she is a graduate of Framingham State University. She lives in Raleigh with her husband and two sons.