Distinguished Service Awards

UNC Greensboro is built on a tradition of service. Not only is “Service” the University’s motto, it is our way of life. In honor of our unwavering commitment to service, the UNCG Board of Trustees annually confers upon deserving North Carolinians the University’s highest honors in recognition of exemplary public service and civic engagement.  

UNCG’s Distinguished Service Awards celebrate those who embody the ideals of committed public servants. Past and future recipients inspire the University community toward greater service.

The 2024 Honorees

Susan Shore Schwartz

2024 Adelaide F. Holderness/H. Michael Weaver Award Honoree

Susan Shore Schwartz has served as Executive Director of The Cemala Foundation since 2006 and was formerly Executive Director of Action Greensboro. An alumna of Salem College, Schwartz’s career in non-profit, community, and business development spans more than three decades. She is a respected advocate for early childhood education, economic development, the arts, and senior living. She currently serves on the boards of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and Action Greensboro, as well as Ready for School Ready for Life, where she is the co-founder and immediate past co-chair. Past community service includes board chair for the Greensboro Children’s Museum, Greensboro Historical Museum, and Arbor Acres United Methodist Retirement Community. She has also served as a board member of the GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art, Triad Stage, and the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits Organizations. Schwartz is past president of the Greensboro Junior League. Her many years of service to UNCG include membership on the Board of Visitors Steering Committee (Chair), the Corporate Relations Board (Chair), and the Master of Public Affairs program’s Nonprofit Management Advisory Board. Recognized for her leadership in the Triad, Schwartz received the Ed Kitchen Leadership Award, Downtown Greensboro, Inc. (2009); O. Henry Award, United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro (2011); Distinguished Alumnae Award, Salem College (2014); and News & Record Woman of the Year, Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro (2019).

Adair Phifer Armfield ’61 & The Late Edward M. Armfield, Sr.

2024 Charles Duncan McIver Medal Honorees

The late Edward Marion Armfield, Sr. (1915-1999) was founder of the Edward M. Armfield, Sr. Foundation. His wife, Adair Phifer Armfield ’61, has been Chair of the foundation’s board since its establishment shortly after his death. Ed Armfield was an alumnus of Davidson College, where he received the Distinguished Alumni Award and the James P. Hendrix Award. His concern for those who find it financially challenging to get an education was the nexus of his foundation. A leader of North Carolina’s textile industry, he personally offered college scholarships to the children and grandchildren of his Surry County employees. 

Adair Armfield has continued his legacy by supporting education, programs for children and youth, efforts to reduce poverty, enhancement of parks and recreation, and the arts. Through the foundation, she has supported several colleges and universities throughout North Carolina, as well as McCallie School in Chattanooga, Canterbury School in Greensboro, the Guilford Educational Alliance, and Say Yes to Education – now shift_ed. Other initiatives receiving assistance include the Armfield Civic and Recreation Center in Pilot Mountain, N.C., the North Carolina Textile Foundation, and Second Harvest Food Banks. Adair Armfield is currently an emeritus trustee of the GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art. Past board and committee service includes Canterbury School, Children’s Home Society, North Carolina Art Society, and the Medical Foundation of N.C. She has served in various capacities at Salem Academy, as well as on the steering committee of the Public Art Foundation, to which the Armfield Foundation made a significant gift to commission LeBauer Park’s Echelman sculpture. She has also served on the advisory board and as a major contributor to the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro’s Women to Women initiative. At UNCG, she served on the Weatherspoon Art Museum Foundation Board and is a current member of the Light the Way Campaign Cabinet. She has been recognized with service awards at both Salem Academy and Canterbury School and received an honorary degree from Guilford College.