UNC Greensboro is built on a tradition of service. Not only is “Service” the University’s motto, it is our way of life. In honor of our unwavering commitment to service, the UNCG Board of Trustees annually confers upon deserving North Carolinians the University’s highest honors in recognition of exemplary public service and civic engagement.  

UNCG’s Distinguished Service Awards celebrate those who embody the ideals of committed public servants. Past and future recipients inspire the University community toward greater service.

Charles Duncan McIver Award

The Charles Duncan McIver Award, named for the University’s founder and first chancellor, honors North Carolinians for exceptional service to the state or beyond.

Adelaide F. Holderness/
H. Michael Weaver Award

The Adelaide F. Holderness/H. Michael Weaver Award, named for Adelaide Holderness ’39, the first woman to serve on its Board of Trustees, and H. Michael Weaver, a long-time UNCG supporter who served the University in many capacities, recognizes a North Carolinian for outstanding service to the Triad or greater Greensboro community.

Nominations for the 2024 Charles Duncan McIver and Adelaide F. Holderness/H. Michael Weaver Awards are now closed. Please check back later for information on the 2024 honorees.

The 2023 Honorees

Dabney & Walker Sanders:
The Adelaide F. Holderness/H. Michael Weaver Award

Individually and as a team, Dabney and Walker Sanders have been transforming Greensboro’s economic and cultural landscape for more than two decades.

Dabney Sanders is the Downtown Greenway Project Manager for Action Greensboro. She chairs the board of the Greensboro Literary Organization, which produces the annual festival Greensboro Bound and brings authors and books into Guilford County schools. She also serves on the board of the Eastern Music Festival, the Public Art Advisory Committee for the Piedmont Triad International Airport, and the Light the Way campaign committee for UNCG’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. Dabney was selected as a finalist for the Knight Foundation Public Service Space Fellowship in 2019 and was named the 2019 Jim Roach Downtown Person of the Year by Downtown Greensboro, Inc.

Walker Sanders has served as President of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro since 1999. Under his leadership, the Community Foundation has grown to manage more than 700 charitable funds and nearly $300M in assets. He developed numerous large community endowments, including the Future Fund, Women to Women, Public Art Endowment, and BIG Equity Fund. Walker has helped spearhead several community initiatives, such as Carolyn and Maurice LeBauer Park and Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. Walker was the recipient of the 2012 Edward Kitchen Downtown Leadership Award and the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Thomas Z. Osbourne Award. He was named the Jim Roach Downtown Person of the Year in 2022.

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