E. Benjamin (Ben) Money, Deputy Secretary for Health Services at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, today became the first recipient of the new Distinguished OSHR Partnership Award from the North Carolina Office of State Human Resources.
Created to recognize the significant contributions of a state employee outside of the Human Resources community on the State of North Carolina Human Resources system and employees of state agencies and the University System, the award celebrates Money’s exceptional dedication, leadership and commitment to sharing his subject matter expertise during the pandemic.
“Ben patiently and calmly made presentations to the state HR community from the earliest days of this health crisis to the present, helping us better understand the evolving situation and what actions we needed to take,” said State Human Resources Director Barbara Gibson. “His insights and professionalism have been integral to our discussions, leading to actions on policy flexibility and best practices to support nearly 82,000 state employees during the unprecedented time.”
The award was presented virtually during a meeting that also included numerous Agency Chief Deputies and Human Resources Directors, as well as members of the OSHR team.
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, 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. The commendation will not be presented on a regular schedule but rather in recognition of rare and exceptional circumstances.
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Note to Editors: DHHS portrait of Ben Money