Woody Connette practiced law for more than 40 years before retiring at the end of 2024. He has a long history of mental health and disability advocacy, ranging from individual incompetency and guardianship matters to large, statewide disability rights class actions in both North Carolina and Tennessee.
Among his volunteer and community activities, Woody has served on the national Board of Trustees and as President for United Cerebral Palsy in Washington D.C., as President of Easter Seals/UCP of North Carolina, as Executive Board Chair for the National Patient Advocate Foundation, and as Chair of the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of Charlotte. He has also served on the boards of the Charlotte Light Factory, the Mecklenburg Medical Society’s Bioethics Resource Group, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, Carolina Legal Assistance, The Council on Adolescent Pregnancy, Bare Bones Theater Group, and other nonprofit organizations.