Robert Brinkley, Past Chair

Robert G. Brinkley is a retired attorney who has served on the Board of Directors of Jacob's Ladder Job Center since 2002. He is the immediate past chair of the Board, having served as chair for 2005 and 2006. He is currently co-chairing the Board’s Long Range Planning Committee.

Robert practiced law with Helms Mulliss & Wicker (and its predecessor firms Smith Moore Smith Schell & Hunter and Smith Helms Mulliss & Moore) in Greensboro and Charlotte for 24 years, where he chaired the firm's real estate practice group. He is the former chair of the Real Property Section of the NC Bar Association and has been listed as one of The Best Lawyers in America and The Best Lawyers in Charlotte.

Robert currently serves on the Board of Trustees of East Carolina University (appointed by the UNC Board of Governors in 2007). He is also a director and member of the executive committee of the ECU Foundation and the ECU Real Estate Foundation. Robert is a member of the Board of Trustees of Providence Day School in Charlotte and a member of the governing Board of the Carolina Thread Trail. He is a long-time member of First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte where he has served on various committees.

Robert received his B.S. degree in Business Administration (summa cum laude) from East Carolina University in 1978 with an area of concentration in accounting. He received his JD degree (magna cum laude) from Wake Forest University in 1981 where he served as Notes and Comments Editor of the Wake Forest Law Review.
Robert grew up in Greenville, NC, lived and practiced law in Greensboro, NC for eleven years and moved to Charlotte in 1992. He and his wife Amy have two teenage children, Samuel and Rebecca. He enjoys family, golf, baseball, reading and, occasionally, fly fishing.