North Carolina Solid Waste Enforcement |
The Mike Stilwell Award for Enforcement Officer of the Year
Mike Stilwell was a member of NCSWEOA’s Executive Committee and served as a code enforcement officer for Mecklenburg County for over a decade. Mike is remembered for providing outstanding service to his community and for his ability to achieve voluntary compliance. He was a model public servant who had the abilities and expertise to navigate complex compliance issues with tact and good humor. In an effort to acknowledge Mike’s contributions to public service we present the Stilwell Enforcement Officer of the Year Award on an annual basis to recognize those NCSWEOA members who exemplify the traits, skills, and knowledge that were demonstrated by Mr. Stilwell.
Note: NCSWEOA is not yet accepting applications for 2021.
We will provide details here when the application acceptance window opens.
Eligibility for Nomination:
Nomination Criteria:
Application Submission:
Review and Award Process:
Congratulations to our 2020 Stilwell Award recipient
Travis Swain, Davidson County!
![]() 2020 was the year of the pandemic and our annual conference was cancelled, presenting us with a unique situation for presenting the 2020 Stilwell Award. The folks at Davidson County stepped up and made it possible for us to do a virtual presentation at their December 15th County Commissioners meeting. Here's the masked version of our 2020 Enforcement Officer of the Year, Travis Swain (left), receiving the award from Davidson County Planning Director Guy Cornman. Receiving the award was a total surprise for Travis - we bet he was wondering why his bride of two days (above) was there! |
2020 Award Winner Travis Swain Davidson County Travis Swain serves as member of a 3- man enforcement team that handles zoning and solid waste complaints in Davidson County, a position that he's held for 3 years. Travis is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Western Carolina University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He began his enforcement career as a sworn police officer in Cobb County, Georgia where he honed his inves-tigative skills. Travis has a gift for communicating effectively by treating people with dignity and consideration. As a result, he gains the cooperation of many violators. In one landmark case, Travis put together an interdepart-mental investigative team, marshalling the support and assistance of the fire marshal's office and the sheriff's department. This enabled him to expand his investigation by using their resources to help build a strong case and ultimately force the clean up of this extensive dump site. |
2019 Award Winner Mauro Mele Pitt County
| 2018 Award Winner Valerie Proper City of Concord ![]() | 2017 Award Winner Jeff Blood Iredell County
From his nominator: "Blood isn’t afraid of anything and he gets results without making people mad.” |