Sunila Chilukuri

Sunila Chilukuri serves as the Deputy Secretary for External Affairs in NCDHHS. She most recently served as Deputy Legislative Director for Governor Stein since the beginning of the administration in 2025, where she represented the governor in the General Assembly and advised him on legislation and strategy, with a focus on health and human services, public safety and elections. 

Sunila was previously the Legislative Liaison at the North Carolina Department of Justice and also served as the Policy Director for Cheri Beasley’s 2022 U.S. Senate campaign. Prior to returning to North Carolina, she spent nearly a decade working with organizations to advance inclusive and transparent democracy and election processes in the U.S. and abroad, including the State Innovation Exchange, Center for Secure and Modern Elections, Democracy North Carolina and National Democratic Institute.

Sunila has an master's degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor's degree in Politics and History from New York University. She is a Chapel Hill native and lives in Durham with her husband, young daughter and dog.