News

These heroes won state and national awards in 2025

By Bill Moss, Published: December 31, 2025

For a relatively small community, it’s astonishing how many state, regional and national awards our leaders, non-profits and emergency responders receive. By our count, executives, emergency managers and agencies won at least 16 awards from state and national organizations in 2025, many of them for their response during and after Hurricane Helene.

Here’s a roundup of the Heroes of 2025:

• If the world makes progress in stopping or reversing the atomic Doomsday Clock, it may be in part because of the influence of Alexandra Bell, a 1997 graduate of East Henderson High School. “Alex” Bell, who had been a deputy assistant secretary at the State Department since 2021, in February was named president and chief executive of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, an organization founded by American physicists at the dawn of the nuclear age, the New York Times reported. The keeper of the Doomsday Clock works to reduce the threat of a worldwide nuclear holocaust. Alex is the daughter of Ed and Sinikka Bell. “I am from Tuxedo, N.C. — a place with no stoplights,” she told the Times. “My folks’ house got 40 inches of rain in two days from Hurricane Helene. The havoc caused by a changing climate has now happened in a place like my hometown.”
• Citlally Diaz-Mar, a North Henderson High School senior who was a top student, AP Scholar and leader of her peers outside school, was named the 2025 North Carolina Youth of the Year. The Fazio Family Boys & Girls Club member stood out among five finalists when she delivered a moving speech about the challenges she and her family faced as immigrants and the mentorship that lifted her up. “Despite facing significant challenges in her life, Citlally has chosen to turn her experiences into a force for good,” Boys & Girls Club CEO Kent Parent said.
• Jerry Henry, the Lowe’s store manager who preserved crucial supply lines of critical hardware and equipment in the hours, days and weeks after Helene, was honored in April as the Lowe’s Store Manager of the Year for the southeast region. The Henderson County Board of Commissioners honored Henry with an official Resolution of Appreciation. “I was able to get in touch with him, miraculously, and told him what we needed,” Commissioner Rebecca McCall recalled. “‘Do you have generators?’ ‘No, but I’ve got a truckload coming. They should be here tomorrow.’”
• Charles Burkhardt “Charlie” Dockendorf, a high school senior who grew up in Flat Rock, was honored in April with a Morehead-Cain scholarship, one of the most prestigious full-ride merit-based academic grants in the U.S. The son of Jane and John Dockendorf, Charlie is studying English literature and Chinese at UNC at Chapel Hill. At Colorado Rocky Mountain School, he served as student body co-president, an upper-class dorm leader and a wilderness leader.
• Caroline Gunther, owner of Wag! A Unique Pet Boutique on Main Street, was named a 2024 North Carolina Main Street Champion in March by the N.C. Department of Commerce and N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center. As chair of the Downtown Advisory Board, Gunther helped guide major initiatives including the city’s new parking deck, the launch of the city Farmers Market and the $3½ million Seventh Avenue streetscape makeover.
• Tina Kinsey, chief administrative officer at Asheville Regional Airport, in June received the 2025 Air Service Achievement Award by Airports Council International-North America. And she wasn’t done yet. In December, she received the 2025 Ted Bushelman Legacy Award for Creativity and Excellence, also from the Airports Council. Under Kinsey’s leadership, AVL has improved travel options for the region leading to record-breaking passenger numbers, more than 20 new nonstop destinations and a 230 percent increase in seat capacity.
• When Helene cast all of Western North Carolina into a communications blackout, it was up to Mark Seelenbacher to get networks restored in Henderson County. For making that happen, the North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Association honored Seelenbacher as its Information Technology Professional of the Year. The IT director shifted the credit to his staff. “Every single one of them during the hurricane stepped up, despite their own hardships, with a smile,” he said when commissioners honored him in June. “And not a single one of them ever said, ‘That’s not my job. I don’t know how to do it.’ It was, ‘What’s next, what needs to be done?’ And they showed up and did the job.”
• Among the many awards Jimmy Brissie received during 2025 was Hero of the Year, an honor bestowed by Elks Lodge 1616 and seconded by county commissioners, the North Carolina General Assembly and the state’s two U.S. senators. The Elks honored Brissie “for what he did before Helene, what he did during Helene, and what he did in the days after,” said Tommy Laughter, an aide to U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards and an Elks Club leader. “He prepared us.” Accepting the award, Brissie said: “Everyone’s mentioned team, and that’s really what it is. It’s all about a team —our firefighters, our law enforcement officers, our telecommunicators, our rescue squad members, our schoolteachers, our human resources employees.”
• Another emergency responder to win state and regional recognition was Steve Freeman, chief of Bat Cave Fire & Rescue. Freeman, who leads the last all-volunteer department in the county, was named Firefighter of the Year at the South Atlantic Fire Rescue Expo and was also North Carolina Firefighter of the Year. Freeman, who narrowly escaped serious injury or death when a landslide wrecked his own home, was honored for leading the massive emergency response effort in the hard-hit Hickory Nut Gorge.
• Mike Corn, who has spent the last several decades managing the legacy Biltmore Estate Jersey cow herd at his Small Acres Dairy in Mills River, was inducted into the N.C. Mountain State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame in September. At the Mountain State Fair, Corn is known for providing the mama cows at the popular Mooternity Ward.
• In October, Hands On! Children’s Museum received national recognition for its extraordinary service to children and families after Helene. The prestigious Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award from the Association of Science and Technology Centers honored the downtown museum for its compassionate and creative response following the hurricane. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Hands On! served as a vital distribution hub for shelf-stable food, baby formula, clothing, toys and other essentials. “We are truly honored to receive this remarkable recognition from ASTC,” Hands On! Director Joseph Knight said. 
• Interfaith Assistance Ministry, the nonprofit crisis assistance agency, also won national recognition for its Helene response, earning The Courage Project award for “bravely stepping up to help its community in times of need.” IAM was honored alongside 19 other individuals and organizations across the nation that “reflect the best of the American spirit by helping their neighbors and building bridges across communities,” The Courage Project announced in October. “On behalf of IAM’s staff and volunteers, we are so proud and humbled to receive this national award for our work to provide basic needs to our hurting neighbors immediately after Hurricane Helene destroyed and damaged thousands of homes, roads and businesses in our Blue Ridge Mountains community,” IAM Executive Director Elizabeth Willson Moss said.
• In November the Brooklyn Creek Restoration Project at Sullivan Park was named the 2025 Stormwater Project of the Year by the North Carolina Chapter of the American Public Works Association Stormwater Division. The project combined ecological restoration with community benefit by enhancing Sullivan Park, increasing habitat diversity and providing long-term stormwater management improvements. “The Brooklyn Creek Restoration Project represents the best of what we strive to achieve — projects that reduce flood risk, improve water quality and create lasting community value,” city Stormwater Director Michael Huffman said.
• Also in November, Visit Hendersonville earned three statewide tourism achievement awards during the NC Travel Industry Association including best of show for its “We’re Still Open” social media campaign promoting the county after Helene. A gold award recognized the bureau’s e-newsletter, “So Here’s the Thing,” which the tourism bureau distributes twice monthly to local industry partners. “‘So Here’s The Thing’ has become the HCTDA’s most effective tool to engage Henderson County’s tourism community with a structured, trusted source of info and insight to improve collaboration within our industry,” said Michelle Owens, TDA’s executive director.
• Brittany Brady, president and CEO of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, was recognized as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers during the ECONOMIX conference in November in Florida. Nominees were selected for their exemplary leadership, innovative strategies and measurable impact in building thriving communities.
• Trina Rushing, director of the Henderson County Public Library, received the prestigious 2025 Director of the Year Award from the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association on Dec. 11. The award recognized Rushing’s contributions and dedication to enhancing library services and community engagement. In addition to her advocacy at the state level for literacy and library funding, Rushing spearheaded the acquisition of the county’s new Mobile Library, which rolled into service in September.
• Jake Jarvis, who has been celebrated locally and regionally for his tireless recovery efforts in the Hickory Nut Gorge starting days after Helene struck, won national recognition, too. The owner of Saluda-based Precision Grading, Jarvis has for 15 months used his own equipment, crew and material to rebuild roads, bridges, retaining walls and other infrastructure in Bat Cave, Gerton, Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. Out of five finalists, Jarvis won first place and grand prize in the competition for the America’s Hardest Worker Award, which came with a $20,000 check.