2012 Recipients of the Citizen Lawyer Award

The North Carolina Bar Association, in conjunction with the Citizen Lawyer Committee, is pleased to announce the 2012 recipients of the Citizen Lawyer Award.

The awards were presented on Friday, June 22, at the NCBA Annual Meeting in Wilmington.

The NCBA Citizen Lawyer Award was established in 2007 to recognize lawyers who provide exemplary public service to their communities. Honorees include elected and appointed government officials, coaches, mentors and voluntary leaders of non-profit, civic and community organizations.

The 2012 recipients are:

	Alison Ashe-Card of Winston-Salem (Access YLD Feature Article) Alison Ashe-Card has provided volunteer leadership and service to the Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem, the Winston-Salem State University Board of Visitors, United Way Women’s Leadership Council, Forsyth Medical Center Foundation Women’s Council, the Sara Lee Center for Women’s Health Advisory Board and the Black Philanthropy Initiative. She set about on this path at the outset of her career when, in 2006, she traveled with a team of lawyers from The Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. Ashe-Card has also provided volunteer leadership and service to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc., the Experiment in Self-Reliance and Leadership Winston-Salem. She is a graduate of Spelman College and The American University – Washington College of Law. She practices law with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP.
	Shelby Benton of Goldsboro (Access YLD Feature Article) Shelby Benton is committed to providing a positive influence on the lives of young people in her community. That is why she co-founded and became president of WAVE (Wayne Area Volleyball Enthusiasts), a traveling club volleyball association for middle and high school girls. She also participates in Teen Court, has been a Girl Scout troop leader, and a chair and board member of the Carver Elementary School Advisory Board and the Spring Creek High School Advisory Board. A past president of the Wayne County Bar Association and the 8th Judicial District Bar, Benton has also provided volunteer leadership and service to Wayne County Criminal Justice Partnership, Wayne County Board of Education Strategic Planning Committee, Wayne County Salvation Army and BarCARES. Benton is a graduate of North Carolina State University and the Campbell University School of Law. She practices law with Benton Family Law.
	Keith Burns of Durham (Access YLD Feature Article) During his formative years, Keith Burns earned Scouting’s supreme rank of Eagle Scout. As an adult, he has devoted countless hours to help ensure that the opportunities provided to him through Boy Scouts of America are made available to the youth of today. That is why he has been so involved in the work of the Occoneechee Council and beyond, not only through his leadership as chair of the Durham District, but also by setting up a website to help commemorate 100 years of Eagle Scouts, and a Facebook page to celebrate Eagle Scouts in the council. Burns has also provided volunteer leadership and service to Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, Research Triangle Regional Partnership, Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership and Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties. He is a graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Wake Forest University School of Law. Burns practices law with Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP.
	Dumont Clarke IV of Charlotte (Access YLD Feature Article) For Dumont Clarke, the influence of family can be traced back to his grandfathers, whose commitment to their communities did not go unnoticed. Their grandson has carried on the family tradition, serving since 2000 as a member of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. In his sixth term, Clarke remains committed to improving the quality of life of all of the citizens of Mecklenburg County. Clarke has worked with the Mecklenburg County Department of Health to create and launch Fit City Challenge, which encourages citizens to increase their level of physical activity while also increasing their fruit and vegetable consumption. The long-term goal is to have Charlotte-Mecklenburg recognized as the fittest community in the nation. He has also provided volunteer leadership and service to The North Carolina Arboretum, Council for Children’s Rights, Centralina Council of Governments and the State Judicial Council. Clarke is a graduate of Vassar College and the University of North Carolina School of Law. He practices law with Moore & Van Allen PLLC.
	Stephen Earp of Greensboro (Access YLD Feature Article) Steve Earp devoted 13 years of service, including four years as president, to NC Beautiful, the oldest environmental organization in North Carolina. Since 1998, he has been on 16 mission trips to Piedras Negras, Mexico, as part of Constructores Para Cristo and Westminster Presbyterian Church, working alongside a poor Mexican family to build a home for them in one week. And, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Fran, he spent two weeks assisting with the clean-up and repair of damaged homes. Earp has also provided volunteer leadership and service to Piedmont Land Conservancy, Guilford County Local Emergency Planning Committee and Habitat for Humanity. He is a graduate of Davidson College and the University of Virginia School of Law. He practices law with Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP.
	Rep. Richard Glazier of Fayetteville (Access YLD Feature Article) Rick Glazier of the 45th District (Cumberland County) has served in the N.C. House of Representatives since 2006, and is currently serving as House Minority Whip. Throughout his adult and political life, education has taken center stage. He served six years on the Cumberland County School Board, including two years as chair. As a member of the School Board Finance Committee, he co-chaired a million dollar school bond committee that created eight new schools and renovated 65 others. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the N.C. Public School forum, and is one of only four legislators nationally to serve on the College Completion Task Force. Glazier has provided additional volunteer leadership and service to the UNC Center for Public Television, the Cumberland County Child Advocacy Center, Fayetteville Urban Ministry and Beth Israel Synagogue. He is a graduate of Penn State University and the Wake Forest University School of Law.
	Glenn Ketner Jr. of Salisbury (Access YLD Feature Article) Glenn Ketner has demonstrated a commitment to community service throughout his career. In recent years he has focused his attention on the Rowan Regional Medical Center and related organizations, addressing fundamental needs for the highest possible quality of health care for his community. Ketner has served on the Board of Trustees of Rowan Regional Medical Center since 2002, and as chair, led the center through its 2008 merger with Novant Health, Inc. He also currently serves on the board of Novant Health, Inc. He has also provided volunteer leadership and service to the City of Salisbury Board of Education, Salisbury-Rowan Symphony and the 19-C Judicial District Bar, where he served as president. Ketner is a graduate of Duke University and the Duke University School of Law. He practices law with Ketner & Associates.
	Pender McElroy of Charlotte (Access YLD Feature Article) Honored in 2002 as the NCBA’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Pender McElroy has long championed the cause of Legal Aid of North Carolina and Legal Services of Southern Piedmont. He served on the N.C. Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services for 13 years, serving seven years as chair. McElroy has also chaired or currently chairs the boards of Mental Health America, Presbyterian Samaritan Counseling Center, Mental Health Association of Central Carolinas, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Presbyterian Home at Charlotte (Sharon Towers), Community Health Services and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Centers. McElroy has also provided volunteer leadership and service to the Rotary Club of Charlotte (Past President), Florence Crittenton Services of Charlotte, the Tryon Palace Commission, and First Presbyterian Church, Charlotte. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the UNC School of Law. He practices law with James McElroy & Diehl PA.
	Robert (Bob) Mullinax Sr. of Newton (Access YLD Feature Article) Bob Mullinax has followed in his father’s footsteps as a prominent member of the local business community and mayor of Newton, serving from 2003-11. He also co-founded, with his wife, the Newton-Conover Education Foundation. A lifelong public servant, Mullinax also served on the Newton Board of Aldermen and as mayor pro tem. Along with his wife, he co-founded and served as a director of the Newton-Conover Education Foundation, which provides grants to teachers for innovative classroom ideas. He is also a co-founder and has served as a director of Repay, Inc., which coordinates community service for criminal offenders. Mullinax has also provided volunteer leadership and service to the Newton Lions Club, the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce, Newton Depot Authority and Eastern Catawba County Cooperative Christian Ministries. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Wake Forest University School of Law. He practices law with Robert A Mullinax PLLC.
	Corena Norris-McCluney of Winston-Salem (Access YLD Feature Article) Every month for the past five years, Corena Norris-McCluney has arranged for students at Cook Elementary School in Winston-Salem to participate in the Stories of Excellence luncheon series. Inspiring speakers share their stories of success with the fifth-graders, thereby planting the seeds of success for future generations. Recent speakers include N.C. Supreme Court Justice Timmons-Goodson, WXII News Anchor Wanda Starke, and the parents of former Wake Forest basketball player and current NBA All-Star Chris Paul. Norris-McCluney also provides volunteer leadership to the Carolina Tide Basketball Organization and Crisis Control Ministry, YMCA of Northwest North Carolina Metropolitan, Heartstrings Pregnancy and Infancy Loss Support Group, St. Paul United Methodist Church and the Winston-Salem Foundation. She is a graduate of North Carolina State University and the Wake Forest University School of Law. She practices law with Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.
	Marc Rudow of Asheville (Access YLD Feature Article) Over the past 30 years, Marc Rudow has provided exemplary volunteer leadership to a number of worthwhile causes in the Asheville area and beyond, in many instances serving as board chair. In particular, he has devoted considerable time and attention to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, The Conservation Fund and the Jewish Community Center Foundation of Asheville. Rudow has also provided volunteer leadership and service to Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling, the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees and the Blue Ridge Society. He is a graduate of the New College of the University of South Florida and the University of North Carolina School of Law. He practices law with Roberts & Stevens PA.
	Judge Frank Whitney of Charlotte (Access YLD Feature Article) In his 30th year as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, Judge Frank A. Whitney of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina was deployed to southwest Asia – Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan – where he became the first Article III Federal Judge to serve as an Article I Military Judge. From June to December 2011 he presided over 25 courts martial in a combat theater, including the last court martial in Iraq on Nov. 23, 2011, during the height of the drawdown of the American forces, when both support and resources were limited. In addition to his military service, Whitney has provided volunteer leadership and service to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission, Festival in the Park, the Mecklenburg County Republican Party, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont and Historic Charlotte. Whitney is a graduate Wake Forest University and the University of North Carolina School of Law who also holds an MBA from UNC.
	David Woodard of Wilson (Access YLD Feature Article) When the Wilson community sought to honor the memory of standout high school soccer player Brittany Willis, David Woodard drafted documents establishing separate 501(c)(3) foundations for a scholarship fund, with assets now in excess $100,000, and a high school soccer showcase, The Brittany, that is now one of the most popular soccer events in the state. Woodard has also provided volunteer leadership and service to the Arts Council of Wilson, Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, Wilson Economic Development Council, WilMed (Wilson Medical Center) Foundation, Wilson Boys Club and the Science Museum of Wilson, Inc. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina School of Law, and also holds and LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law. Woodard practices law with Connor, Bunn, Rogerson & Woodard.