Attorney General’s Dogwood Awards

The Attorney General’s Dogwood Awards, created in 2017 by then-Attorney General Josh Stein, is an award given to honor North Carolinians who are dedicated to keeping people safe, healthy, and happy in their communities.

Lists of Recipients

2017

• Thomas Bashore, Nashville Chief of Police
• Tessie Castillo, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator for Carolina Harm Reduction
• Van Duncan, Buncombe County Sheriff
• Blake Fagan, Family Physician and Chief Education Officer at Mountain Area Health Education Centerr
• Chase Holleman, Founder of Guilford Naloxone Task Force
• Donald McDonald, Executive Director of Addiction Professionals of NC
• Heather Moore, Founder of the Anchor Holds
• Ola Lewis, Brunswick County Senior Resident Superior Court Judge
• Cindy Patane, Co-founded Sneads Ferry’s Heroin Opiate Prevention Education Program
• Vanessa Sapp, Co-founded Sneads Ferry’s Heroin Opiate Prevention Education Program

2018

• Jim Albright, Director, Guilford County Emergency Services, Greensboro
• Asa Buck, Carteret County Sheriff, Beaufort
• Mike Cannon, co-founder of JCANS, Wilson
• Becky Cannon, co-founder of JCANS, Wilson
• J.H Corpening, Chief District Court Judge, 5th Judicial District, Wilmington
• Debbie Dalton, founder of The Hunter Dalton #HDLife Foundation, Cornelius
• Bill Hollingsed, Chief of Police, Waynesville Police Department, Waynesville
• Monika Johnson-Hostler, Executive Director, North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Raleigh
• William Lassiter, Deputy Commissioner of Juvenile Justice, North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Raleigh
• Bradley Letts, Superior Court Judge, 30B Judicial District, North Carolina Superior Court, Waynesville
• Spencer Merriweather, District Attorney, Mecklenburg County, Charlotte
• Kenneth Shultz, Chief of Police, High Point Police Department, High Point
• John Somerindyke, Lieutenant, Fayetteville Police Department, Fayetteville
• Kurtis Stewart, Board Chair of the New Bern Area of Improvement, New Bern/Durham
• Nicole Sullivan, Director, Reentry, Programs and Services, North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Raleigh
• Meade Horton Van Pelt, Executive Director, The Harrelson Center, Wilmington

2019

• Wanda Boone, Together for Resilient Youth, Durham
• Mark Bowling, East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Health, Greenville
• Tom Brewer, President, Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Association of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Danny Britt, Columbus and Robeson County
• Mandy Cohen, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh
• Casey Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, Cherokee Indian Hospital, Cherokee
• Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, Durham Police Department
• Molly Diggins, State Director, Sierra Club, Raleigh
• Officer D.K. Evans, School Resource Officer, Greensboro Police Department
• Randy Evans, Founder and Director, Walking Tall Wilmington
• Dennis Gaddy, Founder and Executive Director, Community Success Initiative, Raleigh
• Chief Gina Hawkins, Fayetteville Police Department
• Sheriff John Ingram, Brunswick County
• Luka Kinard, Student/Speaker on Dangers of E-cigarettes, High Point
• Sheriff Alan Norman, Cleveland County
• Dennis Riddell, Alamance County
• Mayor Bob Scott, Franklin
• Chief Wayne Scott, Greensboro Police Department
• Mayor Patrick Taylor, Highlands
• Chief Catrina Thompson, Winston-Salem Police Department
• Don Waddell, General Manager, Carolina Hurricanes, Raleigh
• Chief Mike Yaniero, Jacksonville Police Department

2020

• Randy Abbott, volunteer coordinator, SAFE Project, Greensboro
• Sheriff Charles Blackwood, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsborough
• Dr. Carly Brown, Masks of Love, Asheville
• District Attorney Ben David, New Hanover & Pender County District Attorney’s Office, Wilmington
• District Attorney Satana Deberry, Durham County District Attorney’s Office, Durham
• Christian Dueñas, DACA recipient and advocate, Durham
• Bishop Todd Fulton, Mt. Moriah Outreach Center, Kernersville
• Peter Gilbert, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Durham
• Peter Gwaltney, North Carolina Bankers Association, Wake Forest
• Hayley Harris and Lara Purnell, Layers of Dignity, Raleigh
• Chief Mark Holtzman, Greenville Police Department, Greenville
• Mayor Vi Lyles, Charlotte
• Beth Messersmith, MomsRising, Durham
• Mike Reardon, Carolina Climbers Association, Asheville
• Sec. Michael Regan, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Raleigh
• Sheriff Danny Rogers, Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, Greensboro
• Rep. Carson Smith, District 16, Hampstead
• Jessie Smith, UNC School of Government, Chapel Hill
• Principal Chief Richard Sneed, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee
• Sheriff Keith Stone, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Nashville
• Isaac Sturgill, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Frank Timberlake, Rich Square Market, Rich Square
• Dr. Ogugua Ndili Obi, Vidant Health, Greenville
• Wendy Mateo-Pascual, Latinx community advocate, Concord
• Dr. Anuradha Rao-Patel, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Durham
• Amy Upham, Buncombe County Opioid Response Coordinator, Asheville

2021

• Dr. Rasheeda Monroe, The Sister Circle, Cary
• Dr. Netasha McLawhorn, The Sister Circle, Raleigh
• Dr. Michele Benoit-Wilson, The Sister Circle, Raleigh
• Dr. Tiffany Lowe-Payne, The Sister Circle, Wendell
• Dr. Jacqueline Hicks, The Sister Circle, Zebulon
• Dr. Nerissa M. Price, The Sister Circle, Raleigh
• Lowe’s Home Improvement, Mooresville
• President Deborah Dicks Maxwell, North Carolina NAACP, Wilmington
• Dr. Kerianne Crockett, North Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, ECU Brody School of Medicine, and Vidant Medical Center, Greenville
• Kristie Puckett Williams, American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Secretary Eddie Buffaloe, North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Raleigh
• Sheriff Quentin Miller, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Asheville
• Officer Stephanie Collins, Fayetteville Police Department, Fayetteville
• Ingram Bell, Gate City Coalition, Greensboro
• Linda Combs, sexual assault Survivor and advocate, Fayetteville
• Sue and Rod Lee, HeartWorks, Bayboro
• Karen Prince, HeartWorks, Bayboro
• Chief Chris Blue, Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel Hill
• District Attorney Matt Scott, Robeson County, Lumberton
• Sen. Jim Burgin, District 12 (Harnett, Johnson, and Lee counties), Angier
• Kemp Burdette, Cape Fear River Watch, Wilmington
• Margaret D. Bordeaux, North Carolina Division of Public Health’s Injury and Violence Prevention Branch, Wilmington
• Major Elijah Bazemore, Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Durham
• Kevin Leonard, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, Apex
• Sara LaVere, Brunswick County Board of Elections, Brunswick County
• Rep. Dean Arp, District 69 (Union County), Monroe
• Rep. Jason Saine, District 97 (Lincoln County), Lincolnton
• Rep. Donny C. Lambeth, District 75 (Forsyth County), Winston-Salem
• Rep. Jake Johnson, District 113 (Henderson, Polk, and Transylvania counties), Mill Springs
• Michelle Ellis, Hunter Huss High School, Gastonia
• Octavia Hamilton, Isaac Dickson Elementary School, Asheville
• Dean Bagnoni, John F. Kennedy High School, Winston-Salem
• Christopher Lane, Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel Hill
• Marcus Morris, Scotland Neck Police Department, Scotland Neck
• Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Asheville
• Piedmont Land Conservancy, Greensboro

2022

• Lt. Stephen Vaughan, Durham Police Department
• Karen Parker, Safe Alliance
• Lauren Schwartz, InterAct
• Katherine Ariano, Duke Health
• Jenny Anand, UNC Health
• Sheriff Paula Dance, Pitt County
• Sgt. Candace Burlingame, Boone Police Department
• Rep. Wayne Sasser
• Michelle Mathis, Olive Branch Ministry
• Commissioner Johnnie Carswell, Burke County
• Sarah Gayton, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office
• Maia Hughes, Buncombe County MAT Program
• Sen. Julie Mayfield
• Lavita Hill, Eastern Band of Cherokee
• Mary Crowe, Eastern Band of Cherokee
• Raleigh Police Department
• Tameka O’Neal, Novant Health
• District Attorney Billy West
• District Attorney Locke Bell
• District Attorney Robert Evans
• District Attorney Jim Woodall
• Sen. Brent Jackson
• Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, Forsyth County
• Sheriff James Clemmons
• Sheriff Landric Reid
• Sheriff Hubert Peterkin
• Sheriff Danny Heath
• J. Steve Mason, Fire Chief, City of Wilmington
• Rep. Grier Martin
• Vernon Gammon, Teamsters
• Mike McGaha, Teamsters
• Dr. Virginia Newell, Winston-Salem State University
• Dr. Erica Pettigrew
• Brian Clark, NC Ports
• Janice Cole
• Stephen DeMay, Duke Energy
• James Ferguson
• Michella Huff, Surry County

2023

• Lynn Guilliams, Fuquay-Varina Middle School
• Baker Burleson, parent advocate
• Survivors of sexual assault, Accepted by Amy Feath, Carousel Child Advocacy Center
• Sen. Tom McInnis
• Nidhi Sachdeva, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
• Diannee Carden-Glenn, ekiM For Change
• District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch, Prosecutorial District 43
• Detective Tori Kennedy, Burlington Police Department
• Detective Josh Schultz, Burlington Police Department
• Jan and Ron Kimble, Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage
• Rashida Gittens, domestic violence victor and advocate
• Catherine Johnson, Guilford Family Justice Center
• Philip Cooper, Operation Gateway
• Mayor Preston Blakely, Town of Fletcher
• Officer Robert Daughety, Jacksonville Police Department
• Officer Sarah Butler, Jacksonville Police Department
• Sheriff Lowell Griffin, Henderson County
• Sheriff Clee Atkinson, Edgecombe County
• Kara Fox, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Maria Teresa Maza, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Ryan Etheridge, Cleveland County Schools
• Kimberly Jones, Chapel Hill High School
• Mayor Zeb Smathers, Town of Canton
• Rep. Kyle Hall
• Cady Thomas
• Cassandra Brooks, Medicaid Expansion advocate
• Firefighter Kevin Murphy, on behalf of the Charlotte Fire Department
• Captain Jeff Bright, on behalf of the Charlotte Fire Department
• Senator H.M. Michaux, Jr.
• Judge Shirley Fulton, North Carolina Superior Court
• Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, Appalachian State University
• Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
• Jonas Swartz, MD, MPH, Duke Health
• Ernestine Bryant, Brunswick County

2024