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Attorney General Josh Stein Honors Five Charlotte Area Recipients with Dogwood Awards

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Contact:
Nazneen Ahmed (919) 716-0060

Note: Photos of all 2021 Dogwood Award recipients are available here. Video of the awards ceremony is available here.

(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today awarded five Charlotte area leaders with the Attorney General’s Dogwood Award. The attorney general distributes these awards annually to honor North Carolinians who work to keep people safe, healthy, and happy in their communities.

The Charlotte area recipients are:

Lowe’s Home Improvement

“When the pandemic hit, we needed the business community to step up and support millions of North Carolinians who were struggling,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “Lowe’s did just that, with millions of dollars in donations to medical professionals and first responders and millions more to support small businesses and provide relief. This is the corporate leadership we needed to see, and I’m grateful to Lowe’s for providing it.”

Lowe’s Home Improvement is headquartered in Mooresville.

Kristie Puckett Williams

“Kristie is tireless in fighting to improve our criminal justice system,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “She was instrument in the passage of the Dignity for Women Who are Incarcerated Act to help protect pregnant women in our state’s jails and prisons. She’s also worked closely with our office to help advocate for fairer pretrial detention policies that don’t punish people based on the size of their bank account, and she’s worked to improve opportunities for people re-entering their communities after incarceration. We are a better state for Kristie’s commitment to justice.”

Kristie Puckett Williams is the Statewide Campaign for Smart Justice manager for the ACLU of North Carolina.

Rep. Dean Arp

“I’m grateful to Rep. Arp for helping ensure expanded access to broadband for people across North Carolina,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “These funds will be life-changing for people across our state who have struggled to have decent access to the internet – perhaps the most critical infrastructure of this century.”

Rep. Dean Arp represents District 69 (Union County) in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Rep. Jason Saine

“Rep. Saine’s leadership in the House of Representatives has resulted in nearly $1 billion in funds to help create and strengthen broadband connections throughout the state,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “That means more people will be able to work, study, get health care, and manage their lives than ever before. I’m grateful for his leadership on this issue, which will benefit so many for years to come.”

Rep. Jason Saine represents District 97 (Lincoln County) in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Michelle Ellis

“Ms. Ellis has been recognized nationally for her exemplary work as a science teacher,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “We owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Ellis and teachers like her, who invest everything into their students and help countless young people expand what’s possible for them to achieve in their futures.”

Michelle Ellis is a science teacher at Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia.

The 2021 Dogwood Award recipients are:

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

 

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