Governor Hunt’s leadership reshaped North Carolina’s education landscape and set a national standard for excellence across the full education continuum through his First in America initiative, a statewide effort to ensure North Carolina would lead the nation in educational achievement and his signature Smart Start initiative which started in North Carolina, and has since been replicated across the country and remains a model for how states can invest in young children to drive long-term educational and economic success.
Through this award, The Hunt Institute seeks to honor leaders who embody Governor Hunt’s unwavering belief that every child deserves a strong start and a high-quality public education, and who lead through innovation, bipartisanship, and service.
Eligibility
Nominees must meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Senior-level state leaders (e.g., governors, lieutenant governors, state agency heads, legislators) or state agencies
- Demonstrated impact at the state and/or national level, marked by bipartisan leadership and political will
- A sustained commitment to building and modernizing education systems—early childhood through postsecondary—that innovate to meet today’s challenges
