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RALEIGH – Retired Gates County Extension Director and 4-H Agent Reba Green-Holley has been honored with a 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award.

This award recognizes outstanding 4-H program staff, 4-H alumni and 4-H donors for their valuable contributions to successful program initiatives across the state. Through their efforts, these winners have improved the reach of 4-H by participating in programs, providing support, volunteering and networking on behalf of 4-H.

Green-Holley was recognized April 29 in Raleigh along with five other fellow agents at the Jane S. McKimmon Center, on the campus of NC State University.

“I was surprised when I was told I would be receiving this prestigious award,” Green-Holley said. “Being honored by my peers and Extension administration is very humbling. I loved my Extension and 4-H career and worked to make a difference in the lives of youth in Gates County.”

Green-Holley began working with Gates County Cooperative Extension in 1981 until ultimately being appointed as Gates County Extension Director in 1995. She became the first female and the first African-American to hold this position and served the county for over 33 years.

“As a County Extension Director and 4-H Agent, my goal during my career was to garner resources and design programs for the county and the youth that would help increase their opportunities and improve the quality of life for the community,” Green-Holley said. “The youth that I worked with are now grown and achieving great things as professionals and members of the community. They let me know how much 4-H meant to them and the knowledge and skills they gained as a result of participation. That lets me know that my efforts helped to make a difference in the life of Gates County’s youth.”

During her time in leadership, she expanded the Gates County office outreach into the community and brought in additional sources of support for Extension. She helped train multiple future extension agents and shared her knowledge with other offices within the Northeast District and across the state.

She led the fundraising initiative for several endowments that have and will continue to support Gates County programs in perpetuity.

Green-Holley served on a number of community boards and organizational committees, including the Roanoke-Chowan Foundation, Albemarle Foundation, Community Benefits Board, First Citizens Bank Board, State E-NC Board, Roanoke-Chowan Partners for Progress, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, and organized the North Carolina A&T State University Alumni Cheer Association.

A native of Greensboro, Green-Holley obtained her bachelor’s degree from North Carolina A&T State University and her master’s from UNC Greensboro.

She and her husband, Guy, reside in Gates County and are the proud parents of two adult sons, Armond and Tovaris.