Donna Girardot Obituary, Death – Earlier this week, Donna Girardot, who had been a member of both the New Hanover County Planning Board and the New Hanover Airport Authority for a significant amount of time, passed away. Since 2014, she has been a part of the planning board for the county, where she has held the chair position four times. In addition to that, she held the position of vice chair of the board.
In 2018, Girardot became the first woman to ever be elected to the position of chairman of the Airport Authority. She was initially appointed to the Airport Authority in 2015, then in July of 2017, she was elected to the position of Secretary of the Board. Due to the significant contributions she had made to the local community in the year 2020, the Governor’s Office bestowed upon her the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award.
Donna Girardot possessed an enormous passion for working with the public. Since April of 2014, she has been a consistent member of the Planning Board for our county, during which time she has held the chair position four times, including her present role. Throughout her tenure, she has chaired a number of different groups, including the Airport Authority and the Technical Review Committee, and she played a pivotal role in the development of the county’s first Comprehensive Plan.
Her being named a recipient of The Order of The Long Leaf Pine Award in 2020 by Governor Cooper was a testimonial to her commitment to serving the public good and her dedication to our community. This award is the greatest honor for service that the state of North Carolina bestows upon its residents. On top of that, Donna was a truly remarkable individual and a wonderful friend to everyone she met. During this trying time, our thoughts and prayers are with her family and all of her close friends.