Donald is a District Court Judge in Mecklenburg County. He was first elected in November 2010, and then appointed by Governor Roy Cooper in February 2019. His appointment was historic as he ran unopposed in the Mecklenburg County Bar election. He is state certified in juvenile court matters including abuse, neglect, dependency, and delinquency cases. He has handled every matter in district court including civil, criminal, child support, family, and domestic violence cases. Presently, he presides over the DWI STEP Court recovery court program, but has presided over the Youth, District Court, Mental Wellness, and Superior Court programs as well. Prior to joining the bench, he worked for the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office, and for Powers McCartan (formerly known as Bush & Powers), a local law firm.

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​Outside of his regular duties in court, Donald is extremely active in the community. He regularly speaks to citizens on topics relevant to the justice system, and participates with organizations and committees connected to the justice system. Currently, he serves on the North Carolina Governor’s Crime Commission Children’s Justice Act subcommittee. 

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Previously, he was an executive committee member of Race Matters for Juvenile Justice (RMJJ), the Disproportionate Minority Contact Subcommittee, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee (D&I) of the Mecklenburg County Bar, a middle school truancy court program volunteer, the Vice President and board member for the Be More Foundation (a not-for-profit organization that uses media literacy to help at-risk youth of color organize their priorities and make life choices with an aim in increasing their social mobility), and a board member for the Lydia Smith Foundation (helps bring awareness to the health condition of sickle cell anemia and provide support and assistance to those impacted by the disease).

 

​In 2017, he graduated from the Community Building Initiative (CBI) Leadership Development Institute (LDI) as part of a group representing RMJJ. In 2012, Donald graduated from the second class of CBI’s Leaders-Under- 40 program (LU40), and in 2009, Donald graduated from the Mecklenburg County Bar, Bar Leadership Institute. He is a member of the Beta Nu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and St. Paul Baptist Church.

A native Charlottean, Donald is a graduate of Garinger Senior High School, Winston-Salem State University, and the Howard University School of Law. His father, Donald, Sr., is a retired facility manager with Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation and his mother, Jacqueline, is a retired educator with CMS, working at both Lansdowne and Smithfield Elementary. Donald has been married for eighteen years to Deanna Cureton, the 2017-2018 CMS Teacher of the Year, and they have a nine year old daughter, Dea, and a two year old miniature Goldendoodle, Sunny.