News Flash

Michelle McCullough of the Planning and Development Services Department is being awarded the highest professional honor available to a person working in the field of historical preservation in North Carolina.

McCullough, a project planner who supports the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission, will receive the 2022 Robert E. Stipe Professional Award at Preservation North Carolina’s annual conference Oct. 26.

McCullough has worked as the historic resources officer for the department since February 2003. She has facilitated the designation of local historic landmarks, districts and listings on the National Register of Historic Places and supervises architectural surveys and grant projects involving historic properties and historic preservation.

For the public, she has organized and conducted trolley bus and walking tours and planned such events as the unveilings of local historic markers. She provided staff support for “Winston-Salem’s Architectural Heritage” published by the Historic Resources Commission in 2015. She advises property owners planning rehabilitation projects and reviews applications for locally designated properties.

McCullough also is a trainer for the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she travelled throughout the country to train commissions, but for the past few years she has conducted virtual sessions.  

Her nomination letter stated, “Michelle’s commitment to documenting, preserving and rehabilitating historic resources is unparalleled. Countless properties have been protected due to her efforts, and Forsyth County residents have an increased awareness of the importance of historic preservation.”

Preservation North Carolina established the Stipe award in 1983 to honor the contributions of Robert E. Stipe of Chapel Hill, an educator in the field of historic preservation and a mentor to a generation of preservation professionals.

Also being honored by Preservation North Carolina this year, the Friends of Odd Fellows Cemetery in Winston-Salem will receive the Minette C. Duffy Landscape Preservation Award; and Union Station and the restoration of the Reynolda House roof and gardens will receive Gertrude S. Carraway Awards of Merit.