- 1978 – The Honorable Frederick Schultz*
- 1979 – Albert Ernest
- 1980 – W.O. Birchfield*
- 1981 – Robert Schellenberg*
- 1982 – Frank Surface*
- 1983 – Douglas Milne
- 1984 – Courtenay Wilson
- 1985 – John G. McGiffin, III*
- 1986 – W.A. McGriff, III*
- 1987 – Julie Buckingham
- 1988 – James Rinaman
- 1989 – J.F. Bryan, IV
- 1990 – Kenneth Eilermann*
- 1991 – William Brinton*
- 1992 – Espie Patrinely*
- 1993 – A. Quinton White
- 1994 – Alton Yates
- 1995 – Don Padgett
- 1996 – Carlton Jones
- 1997 – Carol Spalding
- 1998 – Joanne Sawyer*
- 1999 – Wade Barnes, M.D.
- 2000 – Peggy Bryan
- 2001 – Barbara Darby
- 2002 – David Robertson*
- 2003 – Barbara J. Drake
- 2004 – Madeline Scales-Taylor
- 2005 – Michael J. Shalley
- 2006 – Linda Larkin Smith*
- 2007 – John Bottaro
- 2008 – Sandra C. Ramsey
- 2009 – Ben Bishop
- 2010 – Steve Canty
- 2011 – Nancy Kilgo
- 2012 – Jerry Mallot
- 2013 – Justin Terry
- 2014 – Stephen Goldman
- 2015 – Deborah Moore
- 2016 – Charles Hedrick
- 2017 – Karen Mayfield
- 2018 – Mobeen Rathore
- 2019 – Clark Robertson
- 2020 – Rosa Beckett and Chuck Hedrick
- 2021 – Bruce Fafard
- 2022 – Kathy Miller
- 2023 – Michael Howland
Celebration Honorees
- 1996 – LJ 20th – Mayor John Delaney, Sheriff Nat Glover
- 1997 – Jane Condon, Gertrude Peele*, The Honorable Frederick H. Schultz*
- 1998 – J.F. and Peggy Bryan
- 1999 – Director Emeritus Eleanor Ashby*
- 2000 – Ann Baker*, Robert Shircliff*
- 2001 – Carlton Jones, Dinah Kossoff*, Richard Sisisky
- 2002 – The Honorable Tillie Fowler*, Adam Herbert, Howard Serkin
- 2003 – Walt Bussells, Barbara Darby, Doug Milne
- 2004 – Eleanor Gay*, Jim McCollum, Audrey McKibbin Moran
- 2005 – The Honorable Martha Barrett, Leerie Jenkins, Alton Yates
- 2006 – LJ 30th – Bill Scheu, Ju’Coby Pittman-Peele, Hugh Greene
- 2007 – Robert Helms*, Peter Rummell, Madeline Scales-Taylor
- 2008 – Barbara J. Drake, Noah Henderson, Teala Milton
- 2010 – Henri Landwirth*, Suzanne Montgomery, Ph.D.
- 2011 – MaliVai Washington, A. Quinton White Jr., Ph.D.
- 2012 – William O. Birchfield*, Preston H. Haskell
- 2013 – Gary Chartrand, Deborah Gianoulis Heald, John Peyton
- 2014 – Toni Crawford, William C. Mason, Ed.D., Isabelle Owen Spence
- 2015 – M.C. “Ceree” Harden III*, Connie S. Hodges, Cleve Edward Warren
- 2016 – LJ 40th – Jerry Mallot, Nina Waters
- 2017 – Tim Cost, David Stein
- 2018 – Susan Greene, Janet Owens*
- 2019 – Alberta Hipps, David Miller, Darnell Smith
- 2020 – Cindy Edelman, Coley Jones, Linda Wilkinson
- 2021 – Unsung COVID Leaders: Jim Culbert, Jonathan Insetta, Alexis Magnano (YLJ 2021), Chandra Manning, Alberto H. Romero and Leofric Thomas Jr.
- 2022 – Pat Geraghty, Julia “JuJu” Taylor and Leon Haley (posthumously)
- 2023 – Kevin Gay, Melanie Patz, Lynn Sherman
The Frederick H. Schultz Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2009 – The Honorable Frederick H. Schultz *
- 2012 – Gertrude H. Peele *
- 2018 – William D. Brinton*
Distinguished Leadership Award
- 1989 – Bruce Doueck
- 1990 – Scott Skjordahl* and Bill Etheredge
- 1991 – Ed Hayes
- 1992 – Carol Spalding
- 1993 – Espie Patrinely
- 1994 – Noah Henderson
- 1995 – The Honorable Nat Glover
- 1996 – The Honorable John Delaney
- 1997 – John Ross
- 1998 – Suzanne Montgomery, Ph.D.
- 1999 – Barbara Drake
- 2000 – Peggy Bryan
- 2001 – Dinah Kossoff*
- 2002 – Robert Mitchell
- 2003 – Jill Dame
- 2004 – The Honorable Fredrick Schultz*
- 2005 – Courtenay S. Wilson
- 2006 – Toni Crawford
- 2017 – Laura D’Alisera
- 2018– Maria Hane
- 2019 – Quint White
- 2020 – Ju’Coby Pittman
- 2021 – Carla Miller
- 2022 – Michael Freed
