Individual

Andrea Harris - President - N.C. Institute for Minority Economic Development
Since helping found the Institute in 1988, Andrea Harris has watched regional and state employers learn to value all sectors of the business community. She is particularly proud of having helped many young adults find their places and purposes in the world. Today, some work for the Institute or in non-profits, some work in the public sector, and others have their own businesses, but they all feel a sense of commitment to the human cause. Her hope for the future? "We need more people who want to address immediate problems and more who want to solve the problems," she says. "My hope [is for] an obvious and visible increase in the number of people with faith and courage to act on that faith -- that belief in the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen."

Elected Official

Ellen Reckhow - Chairman - Durham County Board of Commissioners
Ellen Reckhow has achieved many things in her tenure as an elected official. "My greatest achievement has been initiating and sustaining regional meetings and discussion on growth and development issues," she says. For the past 10 years, Reckhow chaired the Smart Growth Committee for the Triangle J Council of Governments, which adopted Regional Development Principles to guide growth and helped initiate the Triangle Greenprint, a regional open-space plan. "I hope that in the future our discussions on growth and development will evolve to foster regional agreements or organizational structures to better plan, coordinate, and implement transportation improvements, water and sewer facilities, solid waste management facilities, and other infrastructure. As our communities expand and grow together, we need the capability and capacity to plan and build infrastructure to serve the entire region in a coordinated, cost-efficient manner."

Organization

Alliance of AIDS Services - Carolina
Jacquelyn Clymore - Executive Director
The Alliance has achieved many successes in HIV/AIDS education and prevention, and in improving the quality of life for people and families living with the disease. It established two family care homes for HIV/AIDS patients requiring 24-hour help with the activities of daily living; and developed several faith ministries programs for prevention, congregational education, care team training, support and pastoral care. "As we look towards the future, The Alliance continues [to take] a lead role in prevention education initiatives and public policy advocacy on a state and national level in order to provide a voice for the disenfranchised, disabled and needy," Clymore says. "Unfortunately, HIV continues to ravage our community and so in the coming year we are expecting a 100 percent increase in the number of clients we serve."

Partnership

Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh Fire Chiefs
Chief Allan Cain, Cary; Chief Dan Jones, Chapel Hill; Chief Otis Cooper, Durham; and Chief Earl Fowler, Raleigh
The partnership of four fire chiefs started in 2000 to share ideas and procedures between departments. The group formed and operated an Urban Search and Rescue Regional Team, organized two Triangle-wide terrorism drills, and facilitated a successful grant for communications improvements. "By combining resources and cooperating on procedures and training we hope to make fire and emergency response between the four cities seamless," Jones says. "Eventually, the partnership will involve other regional departments to make mutual aid and cooperation more effective. The more we can do in advance of an incident, the more effective we will be at managing it for the protection of our citizens."