Dana Simpson attended the Governor's School West in 1991. He was a chief contributor to the GSF’s efforts during the North Carolina Senate funding crisis in 2011-2012.  His efforts as a lobbyist assisted in the eventual restoration of government funding to the Governor's School Program. Since that time, he has continued to be GSF’s proponent in the General Assembly. He has generously donated many resources in the support of the organization on a long-term basis and deserves recognition for saving this preeminent program.

For those and many other reasons, the NC Governor’s School Foundation is proud to honor Dana as a Jim Hart Governor’s School Champion Award winner for 2017.