RALEIGH, N.C. -- N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall has been chosen to receive the Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr. Public Service Award from the North Carolina Bar Association. She is the 15th recipient of the award.

Marshall has served as the N.C. Secretary of State since 1997. When she was elected in 1996, she became the first woman elected to an executive branch office in North Carolina, and she is the first woman to receive this award.

“Service defines us as a nation and society, and it’s a tremendous honor to be recognized for this work,” Marshall said. “To see the list of people who have also received the award gives me chill bumps. I’m humbled by the selection because there are many other outstanding women leaders in the profession who also deserve recognition as well.”

The Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr. Public Service Award honors an exceptional lawyer practicing in North Carolina who has contributed to the community with exemplary public service. It is presented in honor of Chief Justice Lake, who served on the state’s highest court for more than 12 years, including the years 2001-06 as chief justice.

Receiving this award is even more meaningful to Marshall because of her friendship with Chief Justice Lake.

“I knew Chief Justice Lake for half or longer of my lifetime,” Marshall said. “To see his outstanding work, as on the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, was inspiring. When someone becomes that successful, that is rewarding. He always recognized you when he saw you. He was relatable.”

Marshall has a longstanding record of service both in North Carolina and the nation. She has served on the North Carolina Bar Association’s Women in the Profession Committee for 21 years. She was the former legislative chairman of the N.C. Association of Women Attorneys. She was President of the National Association of Secretaries of State and continues to serve on the NASS Board of Directors. In 2019, NASS appointed Marshall to Chair the Uniform Law Commission Advisory Committee and Co-Chair the Securities Committee.

She has also served on the North Carolina Board of Economic Development and the NC Rural Economic Development Fund and was honored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with the Distinguished Service Award for a State Government Official and was inducted into the North Carolina Women Business Owners Hall of Fame. Marshall also Co-Chairs the North Carolina-Moldova Bilateral Partnership and has been honored with the International Trade Lifetime Achievement Award by the Charlotte Business Journal. Sec. Marshall also serves on the Campbell University Board of Trustees and the N.C. 4-H Development Fund Board of Directors.

Marshall is a 1981 graduate of Campbell University School of Law. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and holds honorary doctorates from Meredith College, Lees-McRae College, and Campbell University.

Prior to her position as Secretary of State, Marshall taught in the North Carolina public school system and community colleges, was a small business owner, was a lawyer in the private practice of law, and was a member of the N.C. State Senate.

The Lake Award is traditionally presented at the NCBA Annual Meeting, which was held online this year due to the coronavirus restrictions. Presentation of the award will take place at a later date.