The Governor’s Award for Excellence (GAE) is the highest honor a state employee may receive for dedicated service to the State of North Carolina and its residents. Nominations may be submitted by coworkers, managers and/or Agency Leadership to recognize any exemplary state employees who lead by example and contribute well beyond their normal job requirements.
Details regarding the nomination process and seven categories of recognition may be found on this page. For your convenience, a checklist to aid you in preparing your nomination and a listing of each Agency/University Governor’s Awards coordinator is available here or on the GAE Coordinators tab below. You can also find the “Past Recipients” tab below to access all previous winners’ videos since 2017. This will give you ideas of the qualities the Selection Committee will be looking for.
The deadline to submit nominations was April 13, 2023. Honorees selected for this prestigious award will be notified by the end of July and recognized in a ceremony on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.
Qualifying Employees
Nominees must be permanent state employees and include:
- Employees who have a permanent appointment, including the managerial and administrative levels such as:
- Deputy and Assistant Department Heads
- Division Directors
- Deputy and Assistant Directors of major divisions in the larger departments
- Key assistants to the Department Head or University Chancellor who exert major policy influence.
Employees not eligible
- Elected officials, Department Heads, and University Chancellors
- Employees of the public school system or Community Colleges
- Employees of the Judicial Branch
- Employees of the General Assembly
Tab/Accordion Items
Awards are presented in seven categories:
- Customer Service – Provided exceptional service that left the customer fully satisfied with their experience. Exceeded expectations to meet the needs of the customer. Added value to the customer experience.
- Efficiency and Innovation – Improved the efficiency of state government services. Established new and/or improved methods, practices, plans or designs resulting in innovation, savings and/or efficiencies. This is an ideal area to nominate an employee who has thought of and implemented an employee suggestion that has proven successful.
- Human Relations – Made outstanding contributions toward enhancing the quality and morale of the workplace or creating a better public image of state government (such as positive personal interaction with other employees; public awareness; working on relations internally within an agency; or collaboration between different agencies).
- Outstanding State Government Service – Exhibited unselfish devotion to duty far and above the normal requirements and contributed significantly to the advancement of state service to the citizens of North Carolina.
- Public Service – Made outstanding contributions by participating in or implementing community and public service projects (such as volunteering with various non-profit organizations).
- Safety and Heroism – Demonstrated outstanding judgment or courage in an emergency, voluntarily risking his/her life or exhibited meritorious action to prevent injury, loss of life or prevented damage to or loss of property.
- Spirit of North Carolina – Exemplified the state motto “To be, rather than to seem.” Mentored others in the pursuit of excellence. Served as an ambassador for the State of North Carolina. This special award is reserved for exceptional circumstances and for accomplishments and achievements of the highest caliber.
Online Submission Checklist
- Employee’s name, home address and position title
- Employee’s basic job description
- Employee’s supervisor’s name, email, and phone number
- Agency/University Coordinator name and email address
- A written a summary of why this employee is being nominated. The summary should be a minimum of 350 words but can be longer if needed.
- Category you are submitting this nominee for consideration
- Consent from the nominee’s supervisor. The supervisor must be made aware of your intent to nominate the employee before you complete the nomination form.
Once you have this information ready, you are all set to begin the online nomination!
Number of Submissions Allowed Per Agency University
| Number of Employees | Number of Nominations |
|---|---|
| Less than 300 employees | 3 |
| 300-1,999 employees | 6 |
| 2,000-10,000 employees | 8 |
| More than 10,000 employees | 12 |
| Agency/University | Coordinator | |
| Administration | Althea Trantham | althea.trantham@doa.nc.gov |
| Adult Corrections | Barbara Revels | barbara.revels@dac.nc.gov |
| Agriculture | Tara Sandford | tara.sandford@ncagr.gov |
| Appalachian State | Tina Chaffin | chaffincl@appstate.edu |
| Arboretum | Amy Owenby | aowenby@ncarboretum.org |
| Auditor | Lauren Eiswirth | lauren_eiswirth@ncauditor.net |
| Commerce | Deborah Wilkerson | deborah.wilkerson@nccommerce.com |
| Community Colleges | Shakeyia Hazell | hazells@nccommunitycolleges.edu |
| Natural and Cultural Resources | Kim Campbell | kim.campbell@ncdcr.gov |
| Bonnie Meucci | bonnie.meucci@ncdcr.gov | |
| East Carolina University | Rob Weatherly | weatherlyr19@ecu.edu |
| Elizabeth City State University | Tanisha Brumsey | tfbrumsey@mail.ecsu.edu |
| Department of Environmental Quality | Jennifer Homan | jennifer.homan@ncdenr.gov |
| Fayetteville State | Abby Folgate | afolgate@uncfsu.edu |
| Health & Human Services | Felicia Lacy | Felicia.lacy@dhhs.nc.gov |
| Information Technology Services | Samuel Stephenson | samuel.stephenson@nc.gov |
| Insurance | Monica Shank | monica.shank@ncdoi.gov |
| Justice | Maggie Rodriguez | mrodriguez@ncdoi.gov |
| Labor | Kyla Virden | kyla.virden@labor.nc.gov |
| Military & Veterans Affairs | Creshaye Graham | creshaye.graham@nc.gov |
| NC A & T | Linda Mangum | lmangum@ncat.edu |
| NC Central University | Connie Boone | cboone@nccu.edu |
| NC Lottery | Van Denton | Robert.denton@lotterync.net |
| NC State University | Avery Tuttle | atuttle3@ncsu.edu |
| Office of Administrative Hearings | Angeline Hariston | Angeline.hariston@oah.nc.gov |
| Office of the Governor | Karen Cheek | Karen.cheek@nc.gov |
| Office of State Budget & Management | Melissa Martin | melissa.martin@osbm.nc.gov |
| Patty Garcia | patty.garcia@osbm.nc.gov | |
| Office of State Controller | Michael Euliss | michael.euliss@osc.nc.gov |
| Office of State Human Resources | Karen Cheek | Karen.cheek@nc.gov |
| Public Instruction | Houston Davis | houston.davis@dpi.nc.gov |
| Public Safety | Margaret Ekam | Margaret.ekam@ncdps.gov |
| Robin Becker | robin.becker@ncdps.gov | |
| Revenue | Angelina Harvey | Angelina.harvey@ncdor.gov |
| Secretary of State | Tim Crowley | tcrowley@sosnc.gov |
| School of Science & Math | Jaime Kelsky | jaime.kelsky@ncssm.edu |
| Transportation | Dennis Franz | djfranz@ncdot.gov |
| Treasurer | Debra Thomas | Debra.Thomas@nctreasurer.com |
| UNC – Asheville | Karla Piccirillo | kpicciri@unca.edu |
| UNC – Chapel Hill | Jessica Pyjas | Jessica_pyjas@unc.edu |
| UNC – Charlotte | Linda Diggs | ldiggs3@uncc.edu |
| UNC System Office | Kathy Bryant | kwbryant@northcarolina.edu |
| UNC – Greensboro | Jeanne Madorin | j_madori@uncg.edu |
| UNC – Pembroke | Sheila Hardee | Sheila.hardee@uncp.edu |
| UNC – School of the Arts | Aretha Sutton | suttonar@uncsa.edu |
| UNC – Wilmington | Tessa Lachman | lachmant@uncw.edu |
| Western Carolina University | Cory Causby | causby@email.wcu.edu |
| Wildlife Resources Commission | Patricia Barnes | Patricia.barnes@ncwildlife.org |
| Winston Salem State University | Tracey Worthey | wortheyta@wssu.edu |