A native of the mountains of North Carolina, Amber Burgess Cox is an instructor and developer for the North Carolina Justice Academy. She brings experience from both the teaching field and service in one of the largest Sheriff’s offices in the state as a deputy with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. While employed at the Sheriff’s Office, she worked in multiple divisions, including detention, investigations, and patrol. In her last six years at Henderson County, Amber was Corporal and then Sergeant of the Civil Process Division.  She and her division handled everything from warrants for child custody to delinquent property tax sales.

Amber graduated in 1996 from Wingate University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She received her Master’s in Criminal Justice with the highest academic honors from Columbia College, SC, in 2018. Her route in the education field has taken her through classrooms at the high school, community college, and four-year college levels. Amber is currently on the advisory boards of Crossnore School and Children’s Home – Hendersonville Office and the Hendersonville branch of the State Employees Credit Union and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge 1616. She brings a unique perspective to the classroom — real-world experience and extensive knowledge of criminal justice. Amber has taught topics from Transportation of Inmates to Community Policing and students from sixteen to seventy.