Representative Carla Cunningham BSN, RN represents the 106th District in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Before being elected to the North Carolina General Assembly in 2012, Carla worked as a Hospice Nurse and was fulfilling her appointment to the North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services. An active civic and community leader, she is a recognized national advocate for Health Care, Women, Children, Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse.
For more than 30 years, Carla practiced as a health care professional in North Carolina.
She has experience in multiple nursing fields, which include Intensive Care, Coronary Care, Medical-Surgical, Neurology, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Home-Health, Industrial Nursing, Nursing Education, Nursing Management, and Hospice Nursing.
In 1981, she graduated from Central Piedmont Community College earning her Licensed Practical Nurse Diploma. In 1996, she earned her Associate of Applied Science Degree from Gaston College. In 2009, she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from Winston Salem State University graduating with honors.
Carla is the widow of The Honorable William “Pete” Cunningham, the mother of two children, Kamesha and Kyle, and grandmother of Janiya, Sade, Roman and great grandmother of Carson.
In 2023, She recently accepted an appointment to the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) as a board member.
She is a Member of the American Nurses Association and the North Carolina Nursing Association. Member of the NAACP, and a Life Member of the Mecklenburg-County Black Political Caucus.
Honors and Awards presented to Rep. Cunningham:
NC Child, June, 2023 Awarded and Recognized Rep. Cunningham for her outstanding commitment and vision on expanding Medicaid healthcare access in North Carolina.
2021
NC Bayada Home Health Care awarded Cunningham the Legislator of the Year Award
Living Waters, Inc awarded The Lifetime Mental Health Champion
43rd Mental Health Legislative Breakfast Group awarded Rep. Carla Cunningham “Rep. Paul Luebke Legislative Champion of Mental Health”
2020 Awards received:
Legislator of the Year by North Carolina Association of Nurse Anesthetists
Novant Health gave a Special Recognition Award for Promoting Exemplary service in Health Care and Mental Health from Novant Health in 2020.
Appointments:
She has served as Chair of the Democratic House Women Caucus and Co-Chair of the Democratic House Caucus Women’s Issues Work Group. In the 2018-2020 session Rep. Carla Cunningham was elected by her colleagues to serve as one of the House Democratic Caucus Whips.
2023-2024
The Speaker of the NC House of Representatives appointed her to serve on the following Standing Committees: Appropriations, Appropriations Health and Human Services, Commerce, Energy and Public Utilities, Health -Vice Chairman, Oversight and Reform, Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House, and Wildlife Resources.
Rep. Carla Cunningham is a member of the Non-Standing Committee: North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force, Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and Health Choice, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Access to Health Care and Medicaid Expansion, and the House Oversight Reform Committee.
Governor Roy Cooper appointed her to:
NC Council on Sickle Cell Syndrome.
North Carolina State Health Coordinating Council, North Carolina
NC House Speaker Moore appointed Cunningham to serve as a Chair of the COVID 19 Health Care Work Group.
Rep. Cunningham also serves on the NC Minority Health Advisory Council on Sickle Cell Syndrome, NC Department of Health and Human Services – Olmstead Plan Stakeholder Advisory Member, Reforming States Group (RSG) Milbank Memorial Fund: NC Institute of Medicine – Carolinas Pandemic Task Force, NC Institute of Medicine – Task Force on the Future of the Nursing Workforce and the NC Serious Illness Task Force.