Eastern North Carolina Town Manager and Education Advocate Named Rural Leader of the Year
Schumata Brown, the Maysville town manager and chairman of the Jones County Board of Education, has been named the 2026 North Carolina Rural Leader of the Year by the NC Rural Center.
“Receiving this award affirms what I have always believed — when you love your small town enough to invest in it, advocate for it, and fight for its future, real change happens,” said Brown, pictured center above with Rural Center Director of Leadership Programs Olaunda Green (l) and Rural Center President and CEO Patrick Woodie (r).
The award recognizes a graduate of the Rural Center’s Rural Economic Development Institute or an alumnus of the Center’s Homegrown Leader program who, through strong leadership, hard work, and dedication, has enhanced the quality of life in rural North Carolina and made significant improvements in their community, region, and/or the state.
“Receiving this award affirms what I have always believed — when you love your small town enough to invest in it, advocate for it, and fight for its future, real change happens.”
– Schumata Brown
The Rural Center selected Brown from nominees submitted from throughout the state.
Additional Awards
The Rural Center also presented several other awards during the summit:
Excellence in Regional Collaboration Awards
The Excellence in Regional Collaboration awards recognize people and organizations that develop and implement innovative collaborations across sectors and/or regions to secure a more vibrant future for their communities. Nominees will have demonstrated an understanding of the interconnectedness of our rural places and shown a steadfast commitment to fostering inclusive partnerships that equitably and sustainably address community needs across the region(s) they serve.
- Western Broadband Coalition. The coalition is comprised of five regional councils of government: Land of Sky Regional Council, High Country Council of Governments, Western Piedmont Council of Government, Southwestern Commission, and Foothills Regional Commission. The group has joined to expand broadband availability in western North Carolina.
- Surry-Yadkin Works. Established in 2021, Surry-Yadkin Works is a cross-sector partnership connecting K–12 education, higher education, employers, and economic development across rural Surry and Yadkin counties. Annually, the partnership serves over 400 students through high-quality pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs and has collectively reached more than 18,000 K-12 students through work-based learning experiences and programming.
- Roanoke Cooperative, Ahoskie. The Roanoke Cooperative was founded over 90 years ago to bring electricity to underserved rural northeastern North Carolina. Since then, it has evolved from a rural electrification provider into a modern utility offering reliable power to members and, more recently, high-speed broadband through its Fybe subsidiary. In addition, the cooperative has created innovative innovative energy-efficiency plans, enhanced power grid resilience, and spearheaded an effort to help landowners through generational land retention and improve forest health.
Rural Entrepreneur of the Year
Shawn Adams, Southern Boii Cuisine, Whiteville.
The Rural Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes entrepreneurs making a significant impact on the local economy through job creation, sales, and revenue generation. They serve as mentors to other entrepreneurs and take a leadership role in the community. They must have a business located in one of the 78 rural counties in North Carolina that generates revenue and demonstrates growth and long-term potential. Nominees should have made a significant impact in the local economy through job creation, sales, or increased overall economic vitality.
Community Development Financial Institution of the Year
Partner Community Capital, Charlotte.
The Community Development Financial Institution of the Year Award is presented to a community development financial institution that demonstrates exceptional commitment to supporting North Carolina’s small businesses and communities. The recipient of this award provides innovative lending solutions, strong customer service, and strategic partnerships that help fund business growth, create jobs, and strengthen local economies across the states.
Community Bank of the Year
Skyline National Bank, West Jefferson.
The Community Bank of the Year Award is given to a leading lending partner who also provides excellent customer service to North Carolina’s small businesses. The winner of this award advances the work of the North Carolina Rural Center’s Loan Participation Program, reducing private lenders’ loan risk to help them fund the creation and expansion of small businesses.
About the 2026 Rural Summit
All awards were presented March 27 during the Rural Center’s annual Rural Summit in Raleigh.
More than 700 people from 74 North Carolina counties registered for this year’s conference focused on rural infrastructure, including housing, energy, water, and broadband. The Rural Center partnered with the Institute on Emerging Issues for the two-day event.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt, State Treasurer Brad Briner, and State Auditor Dave Boliek each delivered remarks to the audience and underscored the importance of healthy rural communities.
Matt Dunne, founder and chief executive officer of the Center on Rural Innovation, delivered the opening keynote, weighing in on the possibility of rural areas as hubs for technology jobs and also addressing ongoing tension between some of these communities and data center developers.
Sarah Hall, director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, moderated a panel discussion that explored how North Carolina can close the infrastructure gap facing many rural municipalities, particularly in the areas of water, housing, and energy.
Other sessions focused on telehealth, downtown development, transportation, and economic development.
2026 Rural Summit Sponsors
More than 70 sponsors supported this year’s summit. First Citizens Bank, a strong partner in the Rural Center’s lending work across the state, was the summit’s presenting sponsor for the second consecutive year. This year’s event sponsors were:
- Presenting Sponsor: First Citizens Bank
- Gold Event Sponsor: Insight Consulting Group
- Silver Event Sponsors: Truist, Institute for Emerging Issues