UNC Charlotte Recognizes Kimble with Distinguished Service Award
The 2016 UNC Charlotte Distinguished Service Award was presented on Friday, June 3, to Ronald R. (Ron) Kimble, deputy city manager for the city of Charlotte.
The presentation was made during a luncheon in the Student Union.
In honoring Kimble, UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois said he personifies the purpose of the award, which honors individuals who are devoted community servants and selfless in their dedication to the betterment of Charlotte and the greater region.
“We have worked closely together on some major projects based on the idea that we can do more together than we can do separately,” Dubois said. “The sum is definitely greater than the parts. And when you talk with other people in the city who have worked with Ron, they all said the same thing. Ron gets things done. He’s the rainmaker and we love it when he forces us to take out our umbrellas.”
The deputy city manager for the city of Charlotte since 2007, Kimble has led several major initiatives including the NASCAR Hall of Fame, cultural arts facilities expansion and the U.S. National Whitewater Center. He also is the lead staff member for several city council committees, including economic development and planning and government affairs.
Kimble has been the lead partner with UNC Charlotte and the city on landmark projects and issues including UNC Charlotte Center City, the Blue Line Extension of light rail and other economic development partnerships. He has promoted the value of UNC Charlotte throughout the city and has been one of the University’s strongest allies.
At the luncheon, Kimble thanked all of the individuals he worked with over the years, including many who were in the room.
“The thrill is doing these projects and building relationships, again and again,” he said. “I love this city and my wife loves this city. It is your city and it is my city and it is our city.
“And I would say the same thing about this university,” Kimble said. “I love this university. It is your university and our university and we are together as a community.”
“Ron is a gifted civic leader and economic development icon who brings people together to make impossible things happen,” said Cathy Bessant, Bank of America chief operations and technology officer and a UNC Charlotte trustee. “Without doubt, Charlotte and UNC Charlotte wouldn’t be what we know today without Ron Kimble.”
Kimble and his wife, Jan, founded the Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage after their daughter, Jamie, was murdered as a result of domestic violence. The foundation funded an economic impact study of domestic violence in North Carolina by UNC Charlotte researchers.
“We know that in the realm of domestic violence protection this is just the beginning for Ron and Jan,” said Karen Parker, president and chief executive at Safe Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving more than 20,000 people annually with sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and trauma services in Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus and south Iredell counties.
“Often when there is domestic violence, people don’t want to talk about it,” she said. “But Ron and Jan are really different. They have taken on this life mission of helping others and ending domestic violence.”
Ron and Jan Kimble were the first recipients of the “Community Partner Award” from the University’s Center for Wellness Promotion and the Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Education Committee.
He is currently active with the Charlotte Rotary Club, the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission and the United Way of the Central Carolinas. He is past president of the Greenville Noon Rotary and past state vice president of the North Carolina Government Finance Officers Association.
The Distinguished Service Award was established in 1987 by the Board of Trustees of UNC Charlotte and the Board of Directors of the University Foundation. It honors those who have provided outstanding leadership and exemplary service to the Charlotte community and to the advancement of UNC Charlotte. Each recipient of the award is presented a statue of a gold miner, cast from a sculpture by Lorenzo Ghiglieri.
PHOTO (from left): Joe Price, UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees vice chair; Ron Kimble; Cathy Bessant, Board of Trustees member; and Chancellor Philip L. Dubois