The Region of Excellence Award for Cross-Community Collaboration honors government, nonprofit and or private entities that work together to leverage their resources and skills to combat a widespread problem in their community. This past year, the City of Albemarle was honored for their efforts to establish the City of Albemarle Firefighter Cadet Academy. This endeavor, created in partnership with Stanly Community College (SCC) and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC), effectively demonstrates the value of aligning forces to achieve better outcomes for those in the community.  

The City of Gastonia and Gaston County received the 2022 Region of Excellence Award for Local Government Innovation for their partnership in building inspection services. Their teamwork is a positive example of the success that comes from cities and counties working together towards a common goal. This project provides an effective solution to address a challenge in the community, delivering a measurable impact at the local government level.

As electric vehicle (EV) ownership becomes more prevalent, access to affordable EV charging will be increasingly important. Through a 2018 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte partnered with the City of Charlotte, Duke Energy and Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition (CCFC), a DOE program housed at Centralina Regional Council, to investigate solutions to this issue. The grant provided funding to develop a prototype technology designed to tap into existing streetlight infrastructure for curbside EV charging, lowering installation costs for curbside EV chargers compared to chargers that require the installation of new electrical infrastructure. EPIC collaborated with Duke Energy to develop a prototype for a pole-mounted EV charger, called PoleVolt, and deployed two pilot chargers in the City of Charlotte.

2021 James D. Prosser Award Winner Mike Legg has worked for the City of Kannapolis for more than two decades. We sat down with him to discuss his successes in his role as City Manager and advice he’d give to people interested in pursuing a career in local government.

Mike Down’s long-serving career and commitment to the success of Cabarrus County were honored through the 2022 James D. Prosser Award for a large community. We sat down with Mike to more about his time working on the County level and what he’s looking forward to in the future.

We sat down with Jonathan Blanton, Ranlo’s first Town Manager and small community winner of the 2022 James D. Prosser Award, to discuss how, in just three years on the job, his hard work and passion for local government have had a tremendous impact on the community.

Centralina sat down with 2022 Aging in Action Award Winner, Anna Rice, to learn more about her extensive tenure with Iredell Council on Aging and her passion for working with older adults in her community.

Senior Community Connections SCC is a nonprofit organization that helps older adults remain independent in their homes and actively engaged in the community. This Davidson-based organization was recognized in 2022 for its work in the aging field, receiving the 2021 Centralina Region of Excellence ‘Aging in Action’ Award.

Lake Norman Economic Development is a nonprofit focused on increasing economic outcomes in the community by addressing workforce gaps. In 2022, it received the 2021 Cross Community Collaboration Award (small community) for its Journey 360 program and virtual speed networking events that were developed to address workforce trends and provide high school students with educational opportunities.

The 2021 Region of Excellence award for Cross-Community Collaboration in a large community was awarded to Rowan County for the projects planned and executed through the Rowan Education Collaborative. This initiative is the first of its kind in the area, bringing government and education leaders from across the county together to increase local educational attainment and expand job opportunities for residents.