The Dave Harris Athletic Director Award of Excellence is given in memory of Dave Harris, the former system Athletic Director for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. The Dave Harris Fund was originally fundraised through the NCHSAA Endowment and is now managed by the NCHSAA Foundation, Inc. 

This award seeks to recognize and honor an Athletic Director who has positively impacted his or her athletic administrators within their respective county or school and on a statewide level as a mentor and peer collaborator; an impeccable reputation amongst his or her peers for championing good behavior and exemplifying integrity and fairness; demonstrated leadership, resourcefulness and promotion of professional development amongst athletic personnel within the schools he/she serves.

The 2023-24 Dave Harris Athletic Director Award of Excellence winners are Greg Grantham from Onslow County and Leslie Reeves from West Brunswick High School. 

Grantham has been an influential NCHSAA, NCADA and NCBCA member throughout his career and has also served on the board of directors for the National High School Basketball Coaches Association. He is a member of the NCADA Hall of Fame and the executive director of the NCBCA. He has served as a deacon for his church and is an active member of the Onslow County community he lives in. 

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, I followed his leadership and the guidance he provided for the schools in his county,” said Pender County School County Athletic Director Matt Davis, “as my school was in a conference with several Onslow County Schools. Greg would attend our conference meetings and help guide us in the difficult decisions we had to make as we looked to return to play safely.”

Reeves is the Assistant Athletic Director at West Brunswick and has been a part of several committees at the state and national levels. She recently helped West Brunswick become a Level 1-3 certified athletic program and she has spearheaded the Women’s Athletic Directors Month meetings. She is currently working to complete the NIAAA Quality Program Assessment and is constantly getting the athletic department and the student athletes involved in volunteering around the school and community. 

“I have had the privilege of observing Coach Reeves’s dedication to the students at West Brunswick High School and her vital role in enhancing my athletic programs through the advice and support she gives me daily,” said Morgan King, North Brunswick Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. “Coach Reeves is one of the hardest-working educators I have ever had the privilege to work with. She genuinely cares for our student-athletes and coaches.”