In 1996, Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall became the first woman elected to statewide, executive branch office in North Carolina. She previously served in the NC Senate. Secretary Marshall has pioneered e-commerce in government, protected investors and intellectual property owners, and promoted financial capital formation in North Carolina.
She has served received numerous awards for leadership in technology, government innovation, and women’s leadership. These honors include Leadership North Carolina’s 2016 Governor’s Award for public service, Meredith College’s 2017 Woman of Achievement Award, and the Charlotte Business Journal’s 2017 International Trade Lifetime Achievement Award. Secretary Marshall has been honored with four honorary doctorates, Triangle Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Business, and was a 2018 Inductee for the North Carolina Women Business Owners Hall of Fame. She has also received Lifetime Achievement Awards from North Carolina 4-H and the National 4-H Hall of Fame.
