GEM Award Winner
Dorothy Counts-Scoggins
Dorothy Counts-Scoggins has dedicated herself to enriching the lives of others. After her experience with the desegregation of schools in Charlotte, NC, she chose a life to ensure that all children would receive a quality education regardless of their race, religion and culture.
In 1957, Dot, at 15 years of age, began her journey as one of four African American students to change the inequality of Education in Charlotte, NC and across the country. The two block walk toward the front door of Harding High school was met with racial opposition from students and adults through harassment and abuse. Upon entering the auditorium of the school it also continued. After four days of harassment, abuse and non-acceptance by her peers, teachers and administration, her parents withdrew her and she furthered her education in Yeadon Pennsylvania and Asheville North Carolina.
This pathway was the beginning of working toward ensuring that no other child would endure what she experienced and for them to know that it was their right as a citizen of this country to receive an equal education. Dot began her career as a social worker for abused and neglected children in New York City, and then realized that in order for children to learn tolerance and acceptance, it needed to begin at a very early age. Therefore, she entered the field of Early Childhood Education and became a preschool teacher, Community College instructor, and an administrator in various capacities.
Fifty years later, in September of 2007, Dot was honored by being awarded a Harding High School honorary diploma from CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman. During that event, a documentary “9-4-57”, produced by television reporter and award-winning filmmaker Steve Crump, was aired to family, friends, citizens, students and public officials that captured her four days at Harding High School. During that same year, the Harding University’s School Leadership Team made a request to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education to rename the media center in Dot’s honor. On May 25, 2007, the Board approved the request that the Media Center of Harding University be named “The Dorothy Counts-Scoggins Media Center”, an honor rarely bestowed upon living persons. During that same year, another Honorary Harding University diploma was awarded during the graduation exercise with other graduating seniors.
In June, 2007, Dot was invited to the Governor’s Mansion along with eight other pioneers from across the state that were involved in school desegregation. They were awarded the Old North State Award from Governor Easley.
Dot retired in July 2012 as Vice President of Quality Improvement and Business Consultation at Child Care Resources Inc. after 24 years of service working in many capacities. She has been sought after locally and nationally to tell her story of “Changing the Education System in America” in 1957 and the importance of the history then and now. Her speaking engagements have been geared to our younger generation to ensure that the history is heard and not forgotten.
In 2017, Dot launched a three year pilot mentoring program, Mentoring Across Differences, in partnership with the Women’s Intercultural Exchange (WIE) and Garinger High School. The program was designed to mentor fifteen young girls to build trust across race and culture. Thirteen of the young girls have now finished college and have either pursued higher education or in the workforce, one student has received her associate degree from community college and one joined the AirForce.
In 2022, Dot was awarded the Inaugural History Counts Award from the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity. As a recipient of this award, Dot chose again to partner with WIE and the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity to launch the Dorothy Counts-Scoggins Mentoring and Social Justice Program for 18 diverse students from Harding University, West Charlotte High School, and Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology. Eight of the students graduated in 2025 and all have been accepted to colleges across the country, receiving over a million dollars in scholarships.
Additionally, Dot is very interested in preserving and restoring the communities including the schools in the Northwest Corridor. She serves on the board of the Charlotte Area Fund, Historic West End Neighborhood Association, HWENA, Northwest Corridor Council of Elders, Community Data Advisory Committee, and a member of the Mission and Evangelism Team and an ordained Elder of Memorial Presbyterian Church. Dot has served as a member of the CMS Cultural Competency Task Force, the CMS Bond Oversight Committee representing District 2, the County’s Early Childhood Executive committee (which makes recommendations for Universal Pre-K for children 0-5 years of age in Charlotte, NC), as a volunteer of the Children and Youth Council of United Way of Central Carolinas, and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Dot has also received many awards and recognitions from numerous organizations through the years for her courage and bravery to take that “first step” to change an education system that was not equal for all children. Some of her awards include: The Urban League of Central Carolinas Inc., 2015 Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award; 2017 Charlottean of the Year; The Joyce Henderson Global Impact Award from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority; UNCF Maya Angela Women Who Lead, Elizabeth Ross Dargen Lifetime Achievement Award; Charlotte Legend in Education Award from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; The Charlotte Area Fund Impact Award; Certificate of Award for Women of History presented by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; The Dupage County Martin Luther King, Jr. Open Doors Award, Dupage County Illinois, and in addition to these, was inducted into both the state and national Community Action Association Hall of Fame.
Dot received a BA degree in Psychology from Johnson C Smith University and received certification in Early Childhood Leadership at UNC-Chapel Hill. She also pursued additional studies in Early Childhood Education at Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, Dot has developed curriculum in Financial Management, Early Childhood Administration, and served on the state-wide committee to develop the curriculum for the NC Administrative Credential for Community Colleges (NCAC).
Dot is the mother of two children, Nicole and Mitchell, of Charlotte, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Past Winners
2025
Dr. Dan Morril
2024
Dena Diorio
2023
Anthony Foxx