L. Dean Arp Jr.

Representative L. Dean Arp Jr. is serving in his third term in the North Carolina General Assembly and represents Union County. He is a small business owner and president of Arp Engineering in Monroe, where he is a licensed professional engineer and structural engineer licensed in 40 different states.

Under his leadership on the Board of Education for over twelve years, Union County Public Schools was the most successful large school district in North Carolina — ranking #1 in Adequate Yearly Progress among the fifteen largest school districts and ranking fifth in the highest graduation rate among all 115 school districts, while having the third lowest cost per graduating student. Representative Arp has volunteered for the H.E.L.P. Crisis Pregnancy Center, Habitat for Humanity, and Operation Reach Out, an organization in Monroe to help those less fortunate. Representative Arp also volunteers extensively at his church where he has been both a teacher and a deacon.

Representative Arp was elected to a fifth term in the state House in 2020. He currently serves as Senior Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the Energy and Public Utilities Committee. He is also Co-Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Energy Policy, Co-Chair of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Capital Improvements, and a member of the House Select Committee on Advancing Women in STEM and several other standing and non-standing committees.

In 2021, Representative Arp was named Legislator of the Year by the NC Values Coalition and Defender of Public Safety by the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.

Representative Arp received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from The Citadel and his master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As an award-winning Company Commander at The Citadel, Representative Arp lead his company of over 110 men to receive the President’s Cup and claim the title of Honor Company. He was a member of the The Summerall Guards, The Citadel’s elite, silent drill platoon, and achieved Gold Stars in Civil Engineering – one of the college’s top academic honors. Representative Arp also received the George W. Walker White Award for outstanding achievement in Civil Engineering.

Representative Arp has been married for more than 34 years. He and his wife Anne have two married children and two grandchildren.