The World Affairs Council Honors Charlotte Chancellor Sharon Gaber With The Eminent World Citizen Award
Since 1990, the World Affairs Council of Charlotte has presented the World Citizen Award to prominent individuals and organizations that have enhanced the community’s standing in the world through their accomplishments of international significance and contributions to the city, this region, and the international community.
Past recipients of the World Citizen Award are:
| 1990 Rev. Billy Graham 1991 William Lee 1992 Hugh McColl, Jr. 1993 Dr. LeRoy Walker 1994 Dean Rusk 1995 Elizabeth Dole 1996 William Friday 1997 John Belk 1998 Herman Blumenthal 1999 Habitat for Humanity, Charlotte 2000 Charlie Rose 2001 Loonis McGlohon 2002 General H. Hugh Shelton (Ret.) 2003 Irwin Belk 2004 Jerry Richardson 2005 Crandall and Erskine Bowles | 2006 Graham Allison, Ph.D. 2007 Francis Robicsek, M.D., Ph.D. 2009 Carolinas Freedom Foundation 2010 Jim Rogers 2011 Marshall Larsen 2012 Sandra and Leon Levine 2013 Margaret and Smoky Bissell 2014 Michael Tarwater 2015 Tim Belk 2016 Phil Dubois 2017 Tony Zeiss 2018 Pat Rodgers 2019 Derek Raghavan, M.D., Ph.D. 2022 Brian Moynihan 2023 Johnny Harris 2024 Eugene A. Woods |
This year, the Council is honored to present the 2025 World Citizen Award to Sharon L. Gaber, Ph.D., Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Sharon L. Gaber, Ph.D., serves as the fifth Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the Charlotte region’s public research university. Since her arrival as Chancellor in 2020, the University has embarked on a bold 10-year strategic plan that articulates a new vision to drive discovery and innovation for the region as a globally recognized public research university. Charlotte officially earned the nation’s top research designation, Carnegie R1, in February 2025. Read More
Introduction by Peter Hans, UNC System President
2025 World Citizen Award Gala Dinner
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025
VIP & General Reception: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Dinner: 7:15 – 9:00 p.m.
Location: The Hilton Uptown Charlotte (222 E. Third St., Charlotte, NC 28202)
Attire: Black Tie Optional