Colleen Hammelman nominated for the Holshouser Award from UNC Charlotte
Colleen Hammelman, associate professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, has been selected as UNC Charlotte’s nominee for the 2025 Governor James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service.
Her nomination follows her recent recognition as the 2025 Bonnie E. Cone Professorship for Civic Engagement recipient, an honor that annually designates the University’s representative for the systemwide Holshouser Award.
Since joining UNC Charlotte in 2017, Hammelman has advanced community-engaged research, advocacy and teaching, with a particular focus on strengthening food systems and improving food access in the Charlotte region. Her scholarship centers on the intersection of food security, public health and urban agriculture, and she has secured more than $391,000 in research funding to support this work.
As director of the Charlotte Action Research Project (CHARP), Hammelman has expanded the program’s reach, developing partnerships with more than 15 community organizations. Under her leadership, CHARP has fostered collaborative research that responds directly to community-identified needs and elevates local voices in the research process.
Her recent contributions include co-leading, with Nicole Peterson, professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food System Assessment, a project involving more than 100 organizations and stakeholders. The assessment identified assets, barriers and policy solutions for the region’s food system and informed Mecklenburg County Public Health policy, nonprofit services and local food system planning.
Hammelman also partnered with the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition through the University’s first Community Innovation Incubator team. Their collaboration produced an implementation plan for a community food cooperative expected to open later this year.
Her community-engaged work has earned praise from partners across the region. Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Raynard Washington noted her “fundamental role” in countywide food security initiatives and her ability to apply rigorous academic research to real-world public health challenges.