Charlotte, NC - Sherman Forbes was named a recipient of the 2023 Mary Ellen Leight Service Award last week by the NJCAA.

CLICK HERE to view the full release on the NJCAA website.

Founded in 1959, the NJCAA Service Award is the most tenured honor handed out by the association. It is given to those - most often not an athlete - who have made significant contributions to two-year college athletics on a national level for an extended period of time.

Annually, one Service Award can be reserved for a member of the media. In 2017, the NJCAA renamed the honor to the Mary Ellen Leicht Service Award in recognition of the 28 years of dedicated service by its third Executive Director.

Forbes currently serves as the Assistant Athletic Director & Eligibility and Compliance Director at Mesa Community College.

In his role at Mesa, Forbes has developed and administered the NJCAA eligibility online system for prospective and continuing students. The website contains eligibility guideline tools where coaches can obtain information important to student-athlete's academic and athletic eligibility within the athletic environment, as well as transfer information for student-athletes transferring to and from an NJCAA member and non-member institution.

This system was created to minimize and ultimately eliminate the chance of certifying an ineligible student-athlete or having an ineligible student-athlete in an NJCAA-sanctioned sporting event.

On the national level, Forbes has demonstrated a deep commitment to involvement and supporting opportunities for the association's student-athletes. Forbes is an at-large member of the NJCAA Board of Regents, serves as the NJCAA Region 1 Women's Assistant Director, and serves on several committees including the NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Committee, the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Committee, and the NJCAA Division II Volleyball Committee.

Forbes is also an active member of the NJCAA Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Council.