Land of Sky Regional Council recognized Marshall Mayor Aaron Haynie and Madison County Manager Rod Honeycutt during its annual awards event held on December 3, 2025. The Council, which serves Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties by providing technical assistance and project administration to local governments, honored a total of thirty-one leaders from state, regional, and local levels.
The awards were presented by Land of Sky Chairwoman and Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof. According to the Council’s citation, Mayor Haynie was acknowledged for his leadership in response to Hurricane Helene since taking office in 2024. The town of Marshall experienced severe flooding that destroyed Town Hall and much of its infrastructure. The citation noted that “Mayor Haynie has been a regional leader in Helene recovery efforts, and he has served the community with the highest levels of professionalism and distinction.”
Colonel Rod Honeycutt was also recognized for his role as County Manager since 2022 following a thirty-seven-year career in the US Army. The citation stated that “Colonel Honeycutt has led the Helene response and recovery efforts in Madison County with a high degree of professionalism and service excellence.” It also mentioned his background as a native of Western North Carolina.
During the ceremony, Mayor Haynie commented: “I was honored to accept this award on behalf of the town employees, county leaders, our citizens, the thousands of volunteers, and the state and federal leaders who made our recovery from Hurricane Helene possible. They are the ones who truly deserve this recognition.”
Honeycutt added that growing up along the French Broad River made the impact of Hurricane Helene personal for him. He said that “recovery was possible because of the public safety officers, elected officials, our neighbors helping neighbors, and the 302 dedicated public servants he works for”.
Meanwhile, recent data show ongoing challenges for students in Madison County school districts. In the 2022-23 school year, about one quarter (25.7%) of senior students taking the science portion of the ACT were considered ready for college according to state education data. For junior students in science, only 19.3% met college readiness standards (source). In reading, 35.7% of seniors reached college readiness while juniors had a rate of 31.1% (source). Math readiness rates were lower: just 17.1% for seniors and 13.7% for juniors (source).
Photos from the event were provided by Land of Sky Regional Council.
