Art Pope is chairman of the John William Pope Foundation, a grantmaking organization and chairs Variety Wholesalers, a family-owned retail company operating over 600 stores and employing more than 10,000 people.
A longtime public servant, Pope served four terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives and was state budget director under Governor Pat McCrory. He also served as special counsel to Governor Jim Martin. Additionally, he has previously held roles with the John Locke Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, and several other civic and policy organizations. Pope holds a BA from UNC-Chapel Hill and a JD from Duke University. He and his wife Kathy have three children.