The Distinguished Service Award was established in 1970 and is given to a person other than a county official who, in the judgment of the Board of Directors, has rendered a truly outstanding and distinctive service to the cause of improving local government above and beyond his usual duties or occupation.
| Year | Recipient | Service(s) to Association |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | State Representative Samuel H. Johnson | Chairman, Local Government Study Commission, 1967-1970 |
| 1971 | State Representative Herschel Harkins | Charter member, Local Government Study Commission |
| (Study commission responsible for “historic grant of home rule power in 1969, restoration of local government Sales Tax, 1971) | ||
| 1972 | Governor Robert W Scott | Responsible for establishing a Department of Local Affairs; planning regions |
| 1974 | John L. Sanders, Henry W Lewis and Joseph S Ferrell of the Institute of Government | For their roles in helping the institute train and assist county government |
| 1975 | Congressman L.H. Fountain | Responsible for General Revenue Sharing and Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations |
| 1976 | State Treasurer Edwin M. Gill | Responsible for the state’s financial standing and financial integrity of counties and cities |
| 1977 | Former Montgomery County Commissioner R.B. Jordan, Jr. | For his bringing the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) into preeminence in the National Association of Counties and his continued guidance after his exit from county office. |
| 1987 | State Representative Vernon James | Introduced local Option Sales Tax legislation |
| 1991 | Former Secretary of Human Resources David Flaherty | Pioneered efforts to involve county officials in Human Services planning and initiatives |
| 1997 | State Representative Anne Barnes | Orange County Commissioner (1978-1981); state legislator (1981-1996); long-time chair of House Education Committee; responsible for county representation in an effort resulting in structured sentencing and Criminal Justice Partnership Act and promoting school bond legislation in 1996 |
| 2003 | State Senator Robert L. (Bob) Martin | Pitt County Commissioner (1956-1984); state Senator (1985-2002); president of the association (1971-1972); chair of the Appropriation Subcommittee on Natural and Economic Resources (1989-2002); and advocate for counties in the state budget process |
| 2005 | State Representative W.C. (Bill) Owens | NCACC Past President (1991-92) and former Pasquotank County Commissioner (1976-95); as a state representative Owens has consistently brought the county perspective to the budget process and has advocated for association positions. |
| 2009 | David M. Lawrence and William Rand Kenan Jr. - Professors of Public Law and Government at the University of North Carolina School of Government | Advised and educated thousands of county commissioners, managers, attorneys, finance officers and other county officials on local government finance, open meetings and public records laws and a myriad of issues affecting counties and county officials. |
| 2015 | Prudential Financial Services | Helps fund Advanced Leadership Corps, which provides training to help county commissioners become better leaders and prepare themselves to serve in a higher office. |
| 2017 | UNC School of Government | Provide invaluable support to counties through educational programming, leadership training and day-to-day advice. |
| 2022 | NC Attorney General Josh Stein and his senior legal team | Attorney General Stein and his team at the Department of Justice were instrumental in negotiating the national opioid settlement and worked closely with counties and Association staff to craft a Memorandum of Agreement that directs significant funding to all 100 counties to combat the opioid crisis. |
| 2023 | Nate Denny, Deputy Secretary for Broadband & Digital Equity with the North Carolina Department of Information Technology | Deputy Secretary Denny has worked hand in hand with the Association to help prepare, inform and guide counties through complex state funding programs as they relate to expanding broadband access. We especially appreciate our partnership with the department on the Connecting Counties presidential initiative and its support in bringing the digital playbook to life. |