The North Carolina Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) created the Distinguished OSHR Partnership Award in May 2021 to recognize state employees outside of the Human Resources community whose dedication, leadership and subject matter expertise combine to provide a significant impact of the State of North Carolina Human Resources System and all state employees.

E. Benjamin Money, Deputy Secretary for Health Services at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, became the first recipient of the award on May 14, 2021.

Starting less than two weeks after Governor Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency on March 10, 2020, for the COVID-19 pandemic, Money has provided dozens of detailed updates to Agency Human Resources Directors and Chief Deputies regarding the state’s response to the fast-evolving public health crisis. His calm and thoughtful guidance, as well as his generous accessibility to answer complex questions as conditions changed, contributed significantly to OSHR’s ability to provide flexible policies and best practices. This in turn enabled Agency Leadership to promote effective worksite safety and ensure fair, equitable and compassionate management of all employees.

With a 36-year career in health care that began in community mental health, Money joined DHHS in 2019 after serving as 10 years President and Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA). Effective June 1, 2021, he will join the National Association of Community Health Centers in Alexandria, Virginia, where he will serve as Senior Vice President for Public Health Priorities. The focus of the new role will be to promote public health nationally, including development of new care models for health centers, and to support states with similar initiatives.

Award of the Distinguished OSHR Partnership Award is at the discretion of the State Human Resources Director. It will not be presented on a regular schedule but rather in recognition of rare and exceptional circumstances.