Chris Bramlett was elected to an at-large seat on the Albemarle City Council in 2015 and again elected to an at-large seat on the City Council in 2022.  

Chris grew up in Haywood County, North Carolina, in an area made familiar to us in Charles Frazier’s book, Cold Mountain.  He received his baccalaureate and master’s degrees in chemistry from Wake Forest and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of Virginia.   

Chris has had two distinct careers.  First, he was a professor and administrator at two universities.  At the University of Alabama, in addition to teaching Chemistry, he served as Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Assistant Vice President for Research.  At East Tennessee State University he was Vice President for Academic Affairs. 

In 1981 he left education and moved to Albemarle, NC where he became associated with his wife’s family business, Starnes Jewelers.  In 1989 Chris and his wife opened their own business in Concord, NC, Christopher’s Jewelers, which they operated until their semi-retirement in 2004.  In 2001 the American Gem Society presented Chris the Robert M. Shipley award, the highest honor given in the jewelry industry.  He holds the title Certified Gemologist Appraiser, American Gem Society.  He is currently the owner of Starnes Bramlett Jewelers, the successor to Starnes Jewelers.  The store has been in business since 1898. 

Over the years Chris has served on the Boards of numerous organizations and chaired many of them.  He is especially fond of his work as Trustee, including Chairman of the Board, of Pfeiffer University.  He was instrumental in Pfeiffer’s locating the Center for Health Sciences in downtown Albemarle.   He has also served on the Board of Trustees of Stanly Community College.  In 2008, he was named Main Street Champion by the North Carolina Main Street Program.  In 2009-2012, Chris served on the Inaugural Steering Committee of Friends of Chemistry of Wake Forest University. 

In recent years Chris has been active as a Trustee Emeritus of Pfeiffer University, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Stanly Community College, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Stanly County Community Foundation which is an affiliate of the Foundation of the Carolinas, and Chairman of the Church Council of Central United Methodist Church in Albemarle.  In Myrtle Beach he served on the Board of Directors of Richmond Park Homeowners Association and Board of Directors of Kingston Plantation Management Association.  Chris currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Stanly County Family YMCA and is the Chairman of the Albemarle Historic Resources Commission. 

Chris is married to the former Patrician Starnes of Albemarle, and they have three children and four grandchildren living in Atlanta, Johnson City, Tennessee, and New York City.