Excellence in Leadership Award

HISTORY

The program was instituted in 1988 by the sponsoring organizations, Rotary Club of Charlotte, Charlotte Business Journal and the Charlotte Chamber, as an approach to measuring management excellence in the Charlotte-area business community.

The Club’s Trade and Professional Relations Committee conceived this award as the perfect instrument to call attention to the second Object of Rotary:

High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his occupation as an opportunity to serve society. The selection is made by a committee of Rotary and Chamber members who evaluate the nominees in the following areas: fairness, consistency, flexibility, knowledge, perceptiveness, sharing, fostering of relationships, communication goals and commitment.

QUALITIES OF EXCELLENCE

When nominating your choice, list extraordinary achievements citing examples of leadership and how they reflect credit to the manager and his/her organization. Consider the following:

• • • Success in the nominee’s profession and business or organization
    • Visionary leadership and execution
    • Significant contributions for the good of the Charlotte region
    • Civic mindedness and community involvement
    • Humble in their success
    • A reputation for character in keeping with the values of the Four-Way Test

2025 RECEPIENT

DENA R. DIORIO, MECKLENBURG COUNTY MANAGER

The Rotary Club of Charlotte is pleased to announce Mecklenburg County Manager, Dena R. Diorio has been selected for the Excellence in Leadership Award for 2025..

Ms. Diorio has served as Mecklenburg County Manager since 2014, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Under her leadership, the County has navigated significant challenges, including natural disasters, economic crises, and a major IT security breach, during which she boldly refused to pay a ransom, ushering in a new era of data security. Her tenure has been marked by a strong focus on environmental sustainability and community initiatives, including the launch of Meck PreK, a universal preschool program.

Dena joined Mecklenburg County as director of the Department of Financial Services, where she guided the County through the fiscal crisis and implemented policies that improved its financial standing. Originally from New York, she holds a bachelor’s degree in social services from SUNY Plattsburgh and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.

Her impactful leadership has earned her numerous accolades, including Public Policy Leader of the Year (2015), Leadership In Action Award (2016), and Most Admired CEO (2019). In 2020, she was named Business Woman of the Year by Queens University, the first public sector leader to receive the honor. Recognized nationally for her COVID-19 response, Dena was named County Executive of the Year in 2022.

In recent years, Dena received the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award (2023) for advancing workforce training, affordable housing, and economic mobility and the Gem Award (2024) for her role in preserving the historic Siloam School.

Dena and her husband reside in Charlotte, where her thoughtful leadership continues to inspire progress across the community.

PAST RECIPIENTS

2025 — Dena Diorio

2024 — Johnny Harris

2023 — Erskine Bowles

2022 — Harvey Gantt, Former Mayor and Charlotte City Council, Gantt Huberman Architects founder

2021 — Pat Rodgers, Rodgers

2020 — Anthony Marciano, II, Charlotte Rescue Mission

2019 — John W. Lassiter, Carolina Legal Staffing

2018 — David F. Furman, FAIA

2017 — Governor Patrick L. McCrory

2016 — Dr. Pamela Davies, Queens University of Charlotte

2015 — Michael Tarwater, Carolinas HealthCare

2014 — Jane McIntyre, United Way of the Central Carolinas

2013 — Wayland N. Cato, Jr., Cato Corporation

2011 — Frank Harrison, Coca-Cola Bottling & Co. Consolidated

2009 — Thomas (Tim) M. Belk, Jr. , Belk Stores Services Inc.

2008 — Peter S. Gilchrist, Mecklenburg County District Attorney

2007 — Allen Tate, Jr., Allen Tate Company

2006 — Luther L. Fincher, Jr., Charlotte Fire Department

2005 — Tom Nelson, National Gypsum

2004 — Krista Tillman, BellSouth

2003 — Dr. Michael Marsicano, Foundation for the Carolinas

2002 — Dr. Tony Zeiss, Central Piedmont Community College

2001 — Jerry Orr, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport

2000 — Dr. Billy Wireman, Queens College

1999 — Harry Brace, YMCA

1998 — John Belk, Belk Stores Services Inc.

1997 — Hugh McColl, Bank of America

1996 — Freda Nicholson, Discovery Place

1995 — James Woodward, UNC Charlotte

1994 — Johnie Jones, J. A. Jones Construction Co.

1993 — Edward E. Crutchfield, First Union Corporation

1992 — F. Kenneth Iverson, Nucor Corporation

1991 — Byron L. Bullard, Presbyterian Hospital

1990 — Bill Lee, Duke Power Company

1989 — Leroy Robinson, Belk Stores Services Inc.

1988 — A. F. “Pete” Sloan, Lance Inc.