2026 Public Service Awards honor leaders who improve lives | UNC-Chapel Hill Alert Carolina! Normal The University is currently operating under normal conditions Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 Nine outstanding community leaders and one student group earned the 2026 Public Service Awards -for their work in improving the lives of others. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill) Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share via Email Print Friendly Nine outstanding community leaders and one student group who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to improving lives across the region received awards April 9 from the Carolina Center for Public Service Along with Chancellor Lee H. Roberts and Magnus Egerstedt, executive vice chancellor and provost, the center presented the 27th annual Public Service Awards at a ceremony at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History. Chancellor Lee Roberts and Provost Magnus Egerstedt attended the 2026 Public Service Award to celebrate the accomplishments of the nine community leaders and one student group recipients. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill) The winners are listed below. Ned Brooks Award for Public Service Leigh Callahan , Mary Link Briggs Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the UNC School of Medicine; associate director of the Thurston Arthritis Research Center; director of the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance; for her distinguished and sustained service to Carolina and the broader community, including her leadership in osteoarthritis research and public health, her commitment to improving the lives of those with arthritis, and her ability to translate evidence into impactful, community-based action Eric Montross Award for Public Service Amy Wozniak , senior member of the Tar Heel women’s gymnastics team, double-majoring in business administration at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and public policy in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences; for her exceptional leadership in advancing student-athlete mental health, strengthening community engagement and fostering a culture of service at Carolina Lynn Blanchard, director of the Carolina Center for Public Service and National Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship inductee, hosted the 2026 Public Service Awards ceremony. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill) Robert E. Bryan Public Service Awards (Undergraduate student) Sydney Caddell , a senior majoring in psychology and neuroscience and minoring in sociology in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, and director of the North Carolina Black Youth Wellness Advisory Board; for her outstanding work to advance youth-informed suicide prevention initiatives and strengthen youth mental health efforts across North Carolina (Graduate student) Madison Andrews , a graduate student in the UNC School of Social Work, for her leadership in building free, community-based mental health education and supporting initiatives that reduce stigma and expand access to care in Randolph County and beyond (Staff) Victor Vincent , community health worker, UNC School of Medicine; for his work supporting formerly incarcerated individuals and strengthening reentry opportunities through the N.C. Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program and leadership of The Reentry Expert (Faculty) Dorothy Espelage , William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education at the UNC School of Education; for her outstanding, community-centered work that strengthens youth well-being across North Carolina and for her leadership and mentorship in programs including Sources of Strength and the Research Addressing Violence in Education Lab (Student organization) Eshelman School of Pharmacy PharmD Student Senate ; for their leadership in promoting student wellness, community service and collaboration through initiatives such as health clinics, naloxone-kit distribution, and Clean Jordan Lake Day, creating sustainable impact for both the pharmacy community and the broader public Office of the Provost Engaged Scholarship Awards (Teaching) Maribel Borger , adjunct assistant professor at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health; for her outstanding community-engaged scholarship and her leadership of the Rural Medicine Pathways Program (Research) Delesha Carpenter , professor and executive vice chair of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s pharmaceutical outcomes and policy division, and adjunct assistant professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health; for her outstanding engaged pharmaceutical research and its direct impact on communities throughout North Carolina (Community-University Partnership) Kara Millonzi , Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government and associate dean for research and innovation at the UNC School of Government; for her outstanding work in partnership across the state in support of disaster response and recovery Six employees are recognized for “unusual, meritorious or superior contributions” across nearly 150 years of combined University service. One month from Commencement, soon-to-be grads joined a long-standing tradition of scaling the historic landmark. Want more Carolina news? The Well newsletter updates Tar Heels on UNC-Chapel Hill’s top stories, upcoming events and campus accolades, arriving in your inbox every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning. NC Children’s will be North Carolina’s first freestanding hospital dedicated to caring for kids. The Carolina sophomore shares her life through her poems, tours and activities on campus. Heather Wasser focuses her work on safe infant feeding, a concern after the storm hit western North Carolina. During a BIOL 119 hospital shift, Neha Varrier did CPR on a patient until help arrived. This fall, nearly a thousand Tar Heels got help from fellow students through this free Learning Center program. Share on Mastodon