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The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS), State Board of Community Colleges, and the North Carolina Community College Foundation recently announced nine statewide winners of the system’s 2025 excellence awards.
The annual awards recognize community college excellence among students, staff, faculty, presidents, and workforce development partners.
“These award winners represent the heart of what makes North Carolina’s community colleges so impactful,” NCCCS President Dr. Jeff Cox said in a press release.
Award winners will be honored during the system’s awards dinner and celebration on April 3. Below, you can find a look at the 2025 winners.
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Spirit awards
Dallas Herring Student Achievement Award: This award is presented to a student who best embodies Herring’s philosophy of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go.”
Kyle Harris, a student in Vance-Granville Community College’s Automotive Systems Technology program, is the recipient of this year’s award. Harris is a military veteran who has faced “PTSD, addiction, homelessness, and incarceration after his service,” the release says.
After receiving support from the Veteran’s Life Center, Harris was able to enroll in Vance-Granville. Harris excelled in his studies and secured a job that allowed him to rebuild his life.
Now, Harris supports fellow veterans and encourages them to pursue education and employment.
I.E. Ready Lifetime Achievement Award: This award honors those who have made significant statewide contributions to the NCCCS. Recipients are those who demonstrate leadership and commitment to the system’s development and impact.
This year’s I.E. Ready Lifetime Achievement Award winner is Dr. Dale McInnis, president emeritus of Richmond Community College.
McInnis’ 32-year career has included workforce education funding reform and strategic partnerships that have “shaped the future of community colleges across the state,” according to the awards’ announcement. McInnis was also instrumental in building the Propel NC funding model.
Faculty and staff awards
Excellence in Teaching Award: This award is presented to an outstanding faculty member who exemplifies the highest quality of instruction and makes significant contributions to the NCCCS.
This year’s award recipient is Dr. Lisa Smelser, newly appointed executive director of workforce strategic initiatives at Central Carolina Community College. Smelser is recognized for her dedication to student success and workforce development in biotechnology.
Her leadership “extends beyond the classroom, securing grants and partnerships that expand access to life sciences careers, particularly for underserved populations,” according to the press release.
Staff Person of the Year Award: This award recognizes non-teaching staff members who exemplify exceptional performance and dedication to the community college mission.
Denise Young, director of apprenticeships at Southeastern Community College, is this year’s award winner. Southeastern saw a 53% increase in work-based learning enrollments under Young’s leadership.
Southeastern’s President Dr. Chris English said Young knows how to bring people together and takes time to learn and understand people.
President of the Year Award: President of Haywood Community College Dr. Shelley White is this year’s award recipient.
The award recognizes exceptional leadership and achievements of a community college president who has significantly contributed to their institution and the entire system.
White is being recognized for her “outstanding leadership and dedication to workforce development, innovation, and student success,” including leading the college through significant challenges like COVID-19, multiple floods, and the closure of Haywood County’s largest employer.
Workforce Development Pinnacle Awards
The Workforce Development Pinnacle Awards recognize “exemplary employers, businesses, or industry groups that have demonstrated extraordinary engagement and firm commitment to the education and professional development of its employees and/or to the development of North Carolina’s workforce through its partnership efforts with one or more of the 58 community colleges in North Carolina,” according to the press release.
Read more about workforce
The workforce development category includes four awards:
Apprenticeship Champion: This year, Blum with Central Piedmont Community College is the winner of the apprenticeship champion award. The award is given to an organization that demonstrates commitment to providing structured and meaningful apprenticeship experiences with creative approaches that go beyond traditional roles and responsibilities.
Blum’s Apprenticeship2000 program has trained more than 140-pre-apprentices and 166 full apprentices. The program equips students with STEM manufacturing skills and creates career pathways in mechanics and engineering.
Innovative Leadership Award: This year’s award winner is GE Aerospace with Wilkes Community College. The award goes to a business that demonstrates innovative approaches or practices in partnership with community colleges.
The college has trained more than 800 employees since 2014, helping expand one of GE Aerospace’s facilities in Ashe County. GE Aerospace’s Lean Six Sigma initiative led to “a 5.5% productivity improvement and secured seven new military and commercial aircraft parts for production at the site,” the release says.
Business of the Year (<500 Employees): Mertek Solutions with Central Carolina Community College is the recipient of this year’s award. The award recognizes Mertek’s strategic partnership with the college in workforce development and advanced manufacturing.
As a primary employer of Central Carolina graduates, Mertek has donated FANUC robots and a truck to enhance the college’s programs. Central Carolina Community College President Dr. Lisa Chapman said Mertek’s president, Jerry Pedley, engages on several advisory board committees and understands what the college needs in terms of content, subject matter experts, and equipment.
Pedley has also championed the college’s Manufacturing Day that now attracts more than 1,400 students and 30+ industries annually.
Business of the Year (>500 Employees): This year’s award winner is Novo Nordisk with Johnston Community College. Novo Nordisk is recognized for their partnership with Johnston Community College in workforce development and biotechnology training.
The company has helped create a “state-of-the-art simulated work environment,” the release says, which equips students with hands-on training in bioprocessing and biotechnology. A $4.1 billion expansion from Novo Nordisk in Clayton is expected to create 1,000 new jobs.
