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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Gov. Roy Cooper appointed district court judges to serve Wake and Guilford counties, his office said in a news release Friday.

Mark Stevens was appointed to serve as District Judge in Judicial District 10C for Wake County. He will fill Robert Rader’s seat, the release said.

Stevens got his undergraduate degree from Denison University and earned his Juris Doctorate at North Carolina Central University. He is a Raleigh native and has served as an Assistant District Attorney in Wake County since 2008. He also has leadership roles with the Wake County Bar Association, the release said.

Ashley Watlington-Simms will serve as District Court Judge in Judicial District 18 for Guilford County, filling Betty Brown’s seat. She previously worked as a nurse before entering the law profession, the release said.

Watlington-Simms earned her undergraduate degree at Western Carolina University and her Juris Doctorate at the Charlotte School of Law. She has served as an Assistant District Attorney in Guilford County since 2013, the release said.

“I am confident these leaders will preside with honor as they continue to serve their communities. I admire their dedication and willingness to serve on the bench,” Cooper said in the release.