The eighth annual Karl Davis Leadership Wilmington Alumnus of the Year Award was presented to 2009 graduate Jimmy Hopkins during the Leadership Wilmington Alumni Association reception held at the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce on August 13.
The award was named in memory of LW graduate and WECT General Manager Karl Davis, who died in 2008, and was a proactive force in the community.
Hopkins, a broker at Intracoastal Realty, was honored for his extensive volunteer work and for giving back to the community. His long list of community involvement includes serving on the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees, the Coastal Horizons Center Board of Trustees, chair of the Historic Preservation Committee for the City of Wilmington, Executive Committee member for the Cape Fear Home Builders Association, and the City of Wilmington’s Vision 20/20 Committee. Hopkins has also served on the Board for the Phoenix Employment Ministries where he successfully headed the fundraising committee, and was the chair for the 2015 Heart Ball.
The Most Outstanding Leadership Wilmington 2015 Class Member Award was presented to Wellington Souza (Cape Fear Community College). The award was determined based on voting by the LW Class of 2015 to express their appreciation for the class member who went above and beyond in making contributions to the class, who was open to new ideas, and displayed outstanding leadership skills.
A native of Brazil, Souza was a key member of the 2015 Logistics Committee for the Leadership Wilmington class project, Work On Wilmington. Souza is the Vice President of Information Technology Services at Cape Fear Community College, a position he previously held at High Point University. In 2010 he received the Triad Business Journal’s “40 Under 40 Award.”
Leadership Wilmington is a program of the Greater Wilmington Chamber Foundation that brings leaders from across the community together to educate, challenge and motivate participants to use their leadership skills for the betterment of the community. Leadership Wilmington organizes and implements the area’s largest community service day, Work on Wilmington (WOW), each year as its class project.
