Changemaker Award to recognize tenacity and impact in media
Changemaker Award to recognize tenacity and impact in media
New award recognizes innovative leaders in journalism and mass communications and honors Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Nominations are now open for the new Charlayne Hunter-Gault Changemaker Award, an honor recognizing leaders in journalism and mass communication whose courage and tenacity have created notable, positive impact and demonstrate the power one individual can have to affect change.
The award is named after Charlayne Hunter-Gault (ABJ ’63) who together with Hamilton Holmes, forged a path for thousands of students at the University of Georgia as the first Black students at the University. A changemaker in both the global community and the communications field, Hunter-Gault graduated with a journalism degree from UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and went on to become an influential and respected national and foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, CNN, The New York Times and PBS.
“The Changemaker Award represents Grady College’s first truly global effort to recognize greatness and amplify good works and those who inspire us,” said Charles N. Davis, dean of Grady College. “It is especially meaningful because the award honors one of our very best, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, whose courage, wisdom and loyalty to her alma mater inspire us all. It’s a small way to repay all she’s done for Grady.”
The Changemaker Award will drive a new legacy that connects into newsrooms, boardrooms, agencies, studios, classrooms and communities by celebrating achievements that give voice to the critical role of journalism and mass communication in shaping our world and the future.
The Changemaker Award was created by Carole Jackson Munroe (ABJ ’82), a former reporter and former public relations executive with Disney and Hilton Worldwide. Munroe is also a Board of Trust member at Grady College and former chairperson.
Munroe says it is fitting that this award is named after Charlayne Hunter-Gault. “Journalism and mass communication have the power to create societal shifts by documenting history, informing with facts and motivating with ideas. Charlayne has done all of the above and found the time and resources to help others and the cause of journalism,” Munroe said. “This award really is about looking toward the future and recognizing how communication in all its various forms undergirds everything.”
Munroe continued: “As a young college student, Charlayne was the catalyst in a moment and period that was so powerful, all the while remaining focused on her goals of reporting, writing, and sharing stories from around the world. It is a fitting honor the Changemaker Award will inform future generations of her legacy.”
After her graduation from UGA, Hunter-Gault joined the staff of The New Yorker, followed by The New York Times, PBS’s MacNeil/Lehrer Report and what is now the PBS NewsHour. In 1997, she became the chief correspondent in Africa for National Public Radio. She joined CNN in 1999 as its bureau chief and correspondent in Johannesburg, South Africa, and returned to NPR as a special correspondent in 2005. In 2023, Hunter-Gault was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and she has been honored with many top industry awards, including two Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards.
At The University of Georgia, Hunter-Gault has been inducted into the Grady Fellowship at the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. With her husband, Ronald Gault, she continues to be a changemaker, having established the Giving Voice to the Voiceless Fund at Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications, supporting projects by UGA students and faculty.
Changemaker nomination process
Professionals in any related field of journalism, public relations, advertising, communications or related field who have had an impact on those industries are eligible for nomination.
Nominators will be asked to provide the following information about the nominee:
- A brief bio.
- Description of a particular body of work or program the nominee has created and led.
- Outline of how the nominee has been an ambassador and advocate for preparing the next generation.
- Discuss how the nominee has made meaningful contributions in advancing community engagement and outreach.
Nominations are open now through November 30, 2026. More details and online nominations can be made on the Changemaker Award webpage.
The inaugural Changemaker recipient(s), will be announced early in the new year and recognized at an awards celebration in Athens, Georgia, on April 1, 2027.
The Charlayne Hunter-Gault Changemaker Award will be presented annually.
Recognizing leaders in journalism and mass communication whose courage and tenacity have created notable, positive impact and demonstrate the power one individual can have to affect change.
Charlayne Hunter-Gault Changemaker Award
Author: Sarah Freeman, freemans@uga.edu
Contact: Taejah Harper, tharper@uga.edu