The North Carolina Press Association (NCPA) has named retired Gen. Henry Hugh Shelton its 2002 North Carolinian of the Year at the NCPA’s 129th Annual Convention in Asheville. The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, currently serving as executive director of the Shelton Initiative for Leadership Development at North Carolina State University, addressed association members and answered questions at a breakfast.

The NCPA was founded on May 14, 1873, in Goldsboro. It is one of the oldest state press associations in the country. Past recipients of the North Carolinian of the Year award include Jeanne Robertson, Dean Smith, Doc Watson, Bob Timberlake, Hugh Morton, William and Ida Friday, Billy Graham, Meadowlark Lemon and Elizabeth Dole.

A native of Tarboro, Shelton received a bachelor’s degree in textile engineering from NC State in 1963. He was the 14th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 until his retirement in 2001. A decorated combat veteran who served two tours in Vietnam, he was the first member of the elite U.S. Army Special Forces - the Green Berets - to rise to the nation’s top military post. He is a former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and led the Operation Uphold Democracy joint task force in Haiti in 1994.

As a Senior Leadership Fellow at NC State - and a 2001 recipient of the NC State Alumni Association’s Special Citation, one of its highest honors - Shelton will direct the Shelton Leadership Seminar Series, which will bring recognized leaders to interact with the university community. The first such seminar is scheduled for Nov. 15 at NC State.

The Shelton Leadership Initiative is administered through the university’s Office of Extension and Engagement. The initiative works in concert with other university programs, including the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service; the Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service; ROTC and other organizations to promote educational programs statewide.