David Landrum and James Williams are the most recent UNC Charlotte employees to be recognized with the Governor’s Award for Excellence, the highest honor bestowed a state employee.
Landrum, an office manager in the Communication Studies Department, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, was honored in the category of public service. For eight years, Landrum has worked as a mentor to a student in the Gaston County School system.
According to nomination materials, when the mentorship first began, Landrum’s mentee was struggling and had several challenges. “Landrum went above the expectations of a mentor by fully dedicating himself to improving this child's life. Each Friday, he takes time to eat lunch with his mentee at school. He spends time in his mentee's classes and encourages him in a variety of subjects. Additionally, he has met with his mentee's legal guardians so that he can continue mentoring this child beyond school hours. With their support, he joins in family activities, helps with homework, ensures his mentee has school supplies, clothing and has even assisted with field trip costs. With David’s help, this challenged child has grown into a teenager with a bright future ahead.”
Nominated in the category of efficiency and innovation, Williams is the renovations supervisor, facilities operations, Facilities Management Department. He built a business case to restore the Renovations Shop, which was disbanded several years ago. In the past two years, Williams’ idea of a reconstituted Renovations Shop has saved the University tens of thousands of dollars, according to nomination materials. By building partnerships and trust through timely, quality work, Williams and his staff have consistently earned accolades from campus customers. Additionally, last fiscal year, the shop reported completing all projects on time and for less money than outside contractors. Earlier this year, he was one of UNC Charlotte’s Employees of the Year.
Landrum and Williams were among 14 Governor’s Award for Excellence winners, which included individuals and teams from various state agencies. Recipients were recognized at the awards ceremony, Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the Museum of History in Raleigh.
Members of the selection committee were Elaine Barnes, Department of Public Safety; Keith Dupuis, UNC General Administration; Jimmy Goodrum, State Employees’ Credit Union; Dee Jones, Department of Administration; and Lamar Sylvester, Department of Transportation.
The Governor’s Awards for Excellence were created in 1982 to honor state employees for outstanding achievements; employees can be nominated in one of five categories: human relations, innovations, outstanding state government service, public service and heroism. The Spirit of North Carolina award was created in 2007 to recognize extraordinary achievements that span several award categories; it is given as circumstances warrant.
This is the third consecutive year that UNC Charlotte has had at least one employee honored with this prestigious statewide award.