Fred Klein receives UNC Charlotte Distinguished Service Award

Fred Klein, senior managing partner at Childress Klein, one of the largest full-service commercial real estate firms in the southeast, is the 2024 recipient of the UNC Charlotte Distinguished Service Award. Klein was honored Wednesday, May 1, during a special luncheon in the Popp Martin Student Union.

“UNC Charlotte is pleased to honor Fred Klein with the 2024 Distinguished Service Award,” said Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. “For decades, UNC Charlotte has been fortunate to have someone like Fred who understands how a world-class research university makes the Charlotte region better and stronger. Through his support and leadership, this University is a better place and is positioned for long-term success.”

An active member of the Charlotte community, Klein is on the Board of Trustees for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte and served on the North Carolina Railroad Company Board of Directors. He was recognized with a Belk College Alumni Award, an Honorary Alumnus Award from the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association and received the Charlotte Business Journal’s 2022 Pillar Award.

At UNC Charlotte, Klein has served on the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees, the UNC Charlotte Foundation Board and the Exponential Campaign Executive Committee. He was crucial in the development of the Childress Klein Center for Real Estate, providing support to add faculty and to build research and programming for the center. Klein also served on the center’s board. Additionally, he was a key advisor for the UNC Charlotte Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.

A veteran, Klein served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The Distinguished Service Award, established in 1987 by the Board of Trustees of UNC Charlotte and the Board of Directors of the University Foundation, honors those who have provided outstanding leadership and exemplary service to the Charlotte community and to the advancement of UNC Charlotte. Award recipients receive a statue of “The 49er Miner,” cast from a sculpture by Lorenzo Ghiglieri.