The Citizen of the World Award is given annually to the North Carolinian who has done the most for the internationalization of our state.

Recipients of the award are:

The Honorable Terry Sanford (1995) - Former Governor of North Carolina and Founder of the International Visitors Council in 1973;

Dr. Leroy Walker (1996) - President Emeritus of the U.S. Olympic Committee and President of the 1999 Special Olympic World Summer Games;

Mr. Kazuo Watanabe (1997) - Former President of Mitsubishi Semiconductor America, Inc.;

The Honorable Jeanette Hyde (1998) - Former U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean;

The Honorable James B. Hunt Jr. (1999) - Former Governor of North Carolina;

Mr. Gordon Smith (2000) - Co-founder, Exploris;

Dr. John Hope Franklin (2001) - The John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies, Duke University;

Mr. Robert Ingram (2002) - Former President / CEO, GlaxoSmithKline;

Mr. Jim Fain (2003) - Secretary, North Carolina Department of Commerce;

Mr. James O. Roberson (2004) - Former President, Research Triangle Foundation;

Ms. Millie Ravenel (2005) - Founder and Executive Director, The North Carolina Center for International Understanding

Dr. James Peacock (2006) - Kenan Professor of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dr. Jim Goodnight (2007) - CEO, SAS

Click here to submit a nomination for the Citizen of the World Award