At the April 1, 2019 Board of Commissioners’ Meeting, Deputy Secretary for Human Services, Tara Myers, awarded Susan Osborne, past director of the Alamance County Department of Social Services, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine which is one of North Carolina’s most prestigious awards.

The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is awarded by the North Carolina Governor to those who have led distinguished careers and whose work has extraordinarily impacted both the state and their local communities.

Susan Osborne has worked in the human services field for more than 34 years and is actively involved in numerous committees and boards throughout North Carolina. Under her leadership, the Department of Social Services became one of the first local departments to implement the principles of System of Care which is a community-based service that builds relationships by partnering with
the parents who are involved in the child welfare system. This has led to a number of new partnerships and initiatives that focus on collectively working to provide processes, resources, and services to children, youth, and families in Alamance County.

She is also recognized as being the driving force in creating the Family Justice Center which centered on aligning support services in one location for victims of domestic violence. Additionally, she has played a key role in the Stepping Up Initiative which seeks to reduce the number of people with mental illness in jails. She and her team applied and received a three year federal grant that was instrumental in moving this initiative forward.

This morning the State of North Carolina, Alamance community leaders, and those Susan Osborne has served and worked with all celebrated and recognized her outstanding leadership and commitment to serving children and families in Alamance. As Alamance County Health Director Stacie Saunders wrote in her Letter of Support, ”She is an advocate, a cheerleader, a champion, a mentor, a learner, and most of all someone who cares about making her community better.”