A pair of longtime UNC and Duke educators and campus leaders recently received North Carolina’s highest civilian honor.
DeVetta Holman-Copeland and Beverly McIver were two of the 12 people inducted into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine during a ceremony with Gov. Josh Stein’s office on Mar. 10. The distinction is given to North Carolinians who have made “significant contributions to the state and their communities” by displaying exceptional service and leadership.
DeVetta Holman-Copeland with North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein during the Order of the Long Leaf Pine ceremony on Mar. 10. (Photo via the Office of Gov. Josh Stein.)
Holman-Copeland has taught and mentored students at UNC since her arrival to the Chapel Hill campus in 1985. The university hired her to be its inaugural population-based health educator and programmer, spinning her experience into leadership roles to help oversee different student health programs and counseling services. Affectionately known to her peers and mentees as “Dr. D,” Holman-Copeland’s work was built on connecting with students to help them navigate the challenges of college and life — in addition to working as an adviser for student organizations and a faculty liaison for many campus groups.
Beyond her 40 years at UNC, Holman-Copeland also worked as the executive camp director for the Global Health Connections International STEAM Camp, which connects North Carolina middle and high school students to experiential science, tech, engineering, arts and mathematics opportunities. Her award also cites her 14 years of service on the governor’s Academy for Prevention Professionals, where she helped lead a two-week training program to teach state leaders best practices to help youth displaying high-risk behaviors.
Beverly McIver with North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein during the Order of the Long Leaf Pine ceremony on Mar. 10. (Photo via the Office of Gov. Josh Stein.)
Meanwhile, McIver is a professional painter and retired professor of practice. The rural Orange County resident began teaching at NC Central University in 2007 after moving from Arizona and transitioned to working at Duke in 2014. Her introductory, intermediate and advanced painting courses gave students an extraordinary opportunity to learn from an impactful artist, whose expertise is surreal portraits that depict the Black female experience in America and her own family’s joys and challenges. Her work has been displayed in dozens of museums — including the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery — and was featured in a career retrospective exhibit that toured the across the country in 2022.
Those awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine received a certificate signed by the governor, which confers to them “the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary” to represent the state of North Carolina. It also means the members can lead the official North Carolina Toast at events.
More about Holman-Copeland’s history at UNC can be found on the university’s website, as can McIver’s professional achievements on Duke’s.
Featured photo via the Office of Gov. Josh Stein.
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UNC, Duke Educators Among Spring Inductees to North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine Chapelboro.com.
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