Tell us who you think should be The News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Year.
This year has been a year like no other, from the coronavirus pandemic to Black Lives Matter demonstrations to the election.
Every year since 1997, The News & Observer has recognized North Carolinians who have made lasting and significant contributions to the Tar Heel state in the last year and beyond.
Honorees have come from all over North Carolina and from different sectors, including the arts, business, philanthropy, education and science.
Past winners include the Rev. William Barber (2018), the late NC State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow (2002) and Nobel Prize winners and cancer researchers Aziz Sancar and Paul Modrich (2015).
Last year, we named longtime Triangle developer Gregg Warren, former executive director of DHIC, who has been a champion of affordable housing.
All were recognized for how they made a difference in a very big way.
We want to hear what you think. Tell us about the newsmakers and trailblazers you meet every day. Tell us who they are and how their impact has been felt across the state. You may also cast your vote for one of the people we’ve already written about this year as Tar Heel of the Month. Those names are below.
We will announce the honorees in December.
Here’s how to nominate a Tar Heel of the Year:
▪ Be specific as to why the person is being nominated.
▪ Nominees can come from any field and be any age.
▪ Nominations are open to the public. Final selections will made by N&O staff members.
▪ Deadline for nominations is Friday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m.
Thank you for being part of this process.
2020 Tar Heel of the Month
▪ John Forslund, former broadcaster for the Carolina Hurricanes, named 2019 North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
▪ LeVelle Moton, North Carolina Central University Men’s Basketball coach, inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame. The Raleigh City Council renamed Lane Street Park after the coach.
▪ Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, who has guided the state’s coronavirus response.
▪ Dr. Ralph Baric, researcher and professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, whose work has laid the groundwork for COVID-19 treatments, including the drug remdesivir.
▪ Kizzmekia Corbett, viral immunologist and scientific lead for the government’s search for a coronavirus vaccine at the National Institutes of Health.
▪ Machelle Sanders, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Administration, who is leading the Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental and Health Equity Task Force to seek solutions to address these disparities facing North Carolina residents.
▪ Andrea Peet, whose Team Drea Foundation has so far raised more than $500,000 for the ALS Therapy Development Institute and the Duke ALS Clinic. She works with Google and the ALS Therapy Development Institute to help develop speech recognition tools for ALS patients and has a goal of completing a marathon in all 50 states.
▪ Sabrina Goode, founding member and director of The Friends of Oberlin Village, which works to share the history of the community founded by freed slaves.
▪ Nolan Smith, former Duke basketball player on the 2010 NCAA national championship team and current Director of Basketball Operations on Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke basketball staff. He was recently named a George H.W. Bush Points of Light Inspiration honoree for “his activism and community outreach.”
Make your nomination at nando.com/tarheelnominate.
This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 2:04 PM.