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. |