The Office of Indigent Defense Services officially welcomes Thomas Lightburn “Bud” Woodrum II, the new chief public defender for District 6 that serves New Hanover and Pender counties.
He was appointed on March 28, 2025, by the Honorable R. Kent Harrell, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for Superior Court District 6 and began working in the new role on April 1.
Chief Woodrum did not have a formal swearing in ceremony due to his being involved in a client’s murder trial on his first official day on the job.
Chief Woodrum was born in Texas and grew up in Cary, NC. He most recently worked as an assistant public defender for 10 years under retired Chief Public Defender Jennifer Harjo. Bud was instrumental in establishing and opening the Pender County office, a second location for District 6, which came online in 2023.
Mr. Woodrum earned a B.A. in criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2000. He graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2007 and attended the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law as a visiting student from 2006-2007.
Before taking a job as an APD in District 6, Mr. Woodrum was a criminal defense practitioner for the Shotwell Law Group in Wilmington.
He resides in northern New Hanover County with his wife, Cristina, who is also an attorney; and his daughter, Sawyer; and “Harry Potter” (a mini-Australian Shepherd).
“It was an honor to work with and under Ms. Harjo,” he said. “My goal is to continue the standard of excellence she set for the 6th District Public Defender Office.”