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The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education and Shawn Turner, director of Building Services Support, received Trailblazer Awards at the 2023 Charlotte Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week awards earlier this month.
The Trailblazer Award honors individuals and organizations who have gone above and beyond to open doors and provide a more equitable environment for minority, women and small-business owners. The board was recognized for its leadership, and Turner was recognized as the second Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Minority, Women and Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) administrator who cleared the pathway to transform how public entities do business. Bridget Wall-Lennon, former CMS employee, was also recognized as the first CMS MWSBE administrator.
“We are very fortunate to have a Board of Education that not only created a position dedicated to educate, advocate and champion the inclusion of diverse suppliers in the procurement process, but has remained steadfast in their vision of having a supplier base as diverse as the students we have the privilege of educating,” said Chiquitha Lloyd, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “Receiving this award honors the district’s relentless support of the MWSBE community.”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first MWSBE position created by the board. The position is dedicated to increasing the amount of goods and services procured from MWSBE firms and removing barriers to access various opportunities.
“The MED has shaped lives providing endless possibilities for the future, for our schools, our students and our community,” said board member Lenora Shipp, who was on hand to receive the Trailblazer Award.
The MED Week awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of minority, women and small-business owners, as well as individuals and organizations who have demonstrated their commitment to workforce development and industry trailblazers.
