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At their June 11 meeting, Nags Head’s commissioners proudly presented their prestigious 2025 Lightkeeper and Nags Header awards, honoring individuals who have made lasting, positive impacts on the community.

2025 Lightkeeper Award: J. Webb Fuller

The Nags Head Lightkeeper Award honors exceptional personal and professional leadership. This year’s recipient is J. Webb Fuller, former town manager and commissioner, whose vision helped shape Nags Head into the town it is today.

As town manager from 1982 to 2005, Fuller led Nags Head through a period of rapid growth, spearheading initiatives including oceanfront development ordinances, the Town’s capital improvement program, occupancy tax funding, and beach nourishment. He also helped attract vital institutions such as The Outer Banks Hospital, Nags Head Elementary School and the YMCA, to the community.

“Throughout Webb’s tenure as the town manager, Nags Head was consistently viewed as an outstanding and creative local government,” said Nags Head Mayor Ben Cahoon. “His role in creating the town as a municipal organization cannot be overstated. He hired great people and communicated the Town’s vision, his vision, and the board’s vision to them, and empowered the employees to do their jobs.”

Fuller balanced growth with preservation, maintaining the town’s coastal character even as it evolved. His early work on the Todd D. Krafft Septic Health Initiative helped establish a model for coastal water quality. Additionally, he expanded public beach and sound access, reinforcing Nags Head’s identity as an open and environmentally conscious community.

Fuller’s leadership extended beyond town limits, including service as president of the North Carolina City and County Management Association and continued tenure on the Coastal Resources Advisory Council. After retiring, Fuller helped other local municipalities before returning to Nags Head in 2017, this time for a four-year term as an elected official.

The announcement of his award noted that Fuller’s influence is evident in nearly every facet of town life, from infrastructure and emergency services to environmental protection and education, making him a worthy recipient of the Lightkeeper Award. He was joined at the presentation by his wife Dorie; daughters Taz and Cordelia; son Myers; and Myers’s wife Sheena.

2025 Nags Header Award: Bruce R. Bortz

The Nags Header Award posthumously recognizes individuals who have significantly influenced the town’s culture since its incorporation in 1961. This year’s honoree is Dr. Bruce Bortz, a longtime town employee whose quiet leadership left a lasting mark.

With advanced degrees in biology and fisheries, Bortz brought scientific insight and a passion for preservation to his work beginning when he was hired in 1985. He co-authored the nationally recognized Pre-Storm Mitigation and Post-Storm Reconstruction plan and was instrumental in protecting Nags Head Woods, guiding sustainable growth, and establishing architectural standards that preserve the town’s unique identity. His efforts, including playing a pivotal role in the development of the Todd D. Krafft Septic Health Initiative, earned national recognition from organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Hurricane Conference.

Mayor Cahoon said, “Bruce brought to his work a rare combination of scientific expertise, quiet leadership, and a deep passion for protecting the character and natural beauty of Nags Head. From his tenure as the Town’s code compliance officer, to his final role as planning director, Bortz was instrumental in shaping countless projects and policies that have defined our community.”

Bortz’s legacy lives on in the town’s open spaces, beach accesses, vegetative buffers and resilient infrastructure. Though he passed away in February, his vision and integrity continue to influence the town he served with quiet distinction.

Dr. Bortz is posthumously honored with the Nags Header Award in recognition of his remarkable life and service. His wife Cindy and daughters Tricia Kerlin and Laura Bortz accepted the award on his behalf.

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