Thirteen state employees from nine state agencies and universities will be honored with Governor’s Awards for Excellence at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, during a virtual online ceremony.

The highest honor a state employee may receive for dedicated service to the state and the people of North Carolina, the Governor’s Awards for Excellence recognize accomplishments and actions that are outside of the usual scope of their job duties. Awards will be presented in all seven categories this year, including two recipients of the prestigious Spirit of North Carolina award. Recognizing extraordinary contributions over the course of a distinguished career, the Spirit of North Carolina has been presented only twice since the recognition program was established in 1982. The ceremony will be hosted by retired WRAL anchor Bill Leslie.

The 2020 Governor’s Awards for Excellence honorees are based at the following agencies and universities:

• Department of Environmental Quality (Asheville)
• Department of Health and Human Safety: Broughton Hospital (Morganton)
• Department of Public Safety: Alcohol Law Enforcement (Elizabeth City), Juvenile Justice Division (Morganton), North Carolina National Guard (Raleigh), State Bureau of Investigation (Raleigh), State Highway Patrol (Reidsville)
• Department of Natural and Cultural Resource, North Carolina Zoo (Asheboro)
• Department of Secretary of State (Raleigh)
• East Carolina University (Greenville)
• North Carolina Central University School of Law (Durham)
• Office of State Human Resources (Raleigh)
• Wildlife Resources Commission, Law Enforcement Division (Elkin)

A description of each recipient's winning qualities and videos that share their story will go live at 11 a.m. Tuesday on the Office of State Human Resources website.

This annual event is made possible by funding from the State Employees Credit Union Foundation.