Retired Fayetteville Technical Community College President Dr. J. Larry Keen has received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in recognition of a lengthy career focused on service through education. 

The award, which is issued by the Office of the Governor, is North Carolina’s highest honor for civic service and is reserved for individuals with decades of state service. 

Keen’s certificate was presented by local and college leaders, including County Commissioners Chairman Kirk deViere and FTCC President Dr. Mark Sorrells, during the college’s April 20 meeting with the Board of Trustees and the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners.  

“This is a reflection on the quality of the people I’ve had the privilege to work with during my entire life,” Keen said in a press release. “I’m forever grateful to the people, throughout the entire community college system, but really the faculty and staff at FTCC, the Board of Trustees, and Dr. Sorrells, who have all been phenomenal in so many different ways.” 

Keen served as FTCC’s fourth president for nearly 15 years before retiring in 2022, calling it “the job of a lifetime.” 

During his tenure, Keen steered the college with a tireless resolve, using his people-first approach to foster student success, drive continuous college improvement, and elevate FTCC to become an essential piece of the economic engine of Cumberland County and the surrounding area. 

“I’ve been blessed by the people I’ve been around,” Keen said in a press release. “God blessed me to be in a position where I could make decisions and influence things, and I pray that I’ve done that effectively for North Carolina.”