2026 Conference attendees and winners of Excellence in Communication Awards

This Is What Excellence Looks Like 🏆

NC3C 2026 Annual Conference

Meet Your 2026–2027 NC3C Board Members

From the mountains to the coast, NC3C members span our state.


We are a network of government communication professionals dedicated to sharing knowledge,
building connections, and raising the standard of public sector communications across our state.


Here, you’ll find the latest NC3C news, upcoming events, and highlights from our members
who are making a difference in their communities.

News & Updates


By Nicole Hricik • September 28, 2026
In honor of our 20th anniversary this year, we’re inviting our members to help shape the look of our next chapter! We’re launching a Logo Design Contest to refresh our organization’s logo and visual identity. As an organization created for and powered by government communicators, we can’t think of a better way to mark this milestone than by tapping into the creativity of our own members. The contest is open to current NC3C members, and entries must be original, human-created designs. AI-generated logos or design elements are not permitted. Before getting started, please review the full contest guidelines for design requirements, eligibility and submission details. Submit your logo concept through this entry form by Nov. 1, 2026 . After entries close, the NC3C Board of Directors will review the submissions and narrow the field to a group of finalists in December. Then we’ll turn it over to you! Finalist designs will be shared with the full NC3C membership for a vote to help select our new logo. And yes, there’s a prize! The member behind the winning design will receive complimentary registration to the 2027 NC3C Annual Conference, plus a complimentary hotel stay during the conference. We’ll also recognize the winning designer as we celebrate NC3C’s 20th anniversary at our annual conference in the spring of 2027 (we look forward to sharing these details too!) We can’t wait to see what our talented NC3C members create!
By Nicole Hricik • September 25, 2026
Four Hours. Fresh Ideas. A Lot to Take Back.
By Nicole Hricik • September 3, 2026
Webinar

194


Active Members

27


Award Categories

130


City/Counties Represented

Member Spotlights


2026 NC3C Individual Awards

Liz Cooper, 2026 Communicator of the Year and Gary Herman, 2026 Chris Coulson Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

The North Carolina City & County Communicators (NC3C) is proud to announce the recipients of its top individual honors for 2026:


Liz Cooper, Union County's Director of Public Communications, has been named the NC3C Communicator of the Year.


The Chris Coulson Lifetime Achievement Award has been awarded to Gary Herman of Alexander County with more than 20 years in local government communications.



These awards are named in honor of Chris Coulson, a founding member of NC3C who played a pivotal role in establishing the organization in 2007 before passing away later that year following a battle with cancer. 

Testimonials

"Thank you for offering this regional conference and for all the amazing webinars! You guys are doing an outstanding job growing NC3C."

"I just appreciate all your hard work in organizing events like this for NC3C. Means so much to have these opportunities to build relationships and network!"

"The workshop was worth the drive. Just to hear stories from your peers and know that you are not alone."