Hal Kitchin was awarded The Karl Davis Leadership Wilmington Alumnus of the Year Award.

Kitchin was recognized for the award during the chamber's Leadership Wilmington awards reception held at the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce in August, according to a news release. Mitch Lamm, 2016 chairman, and Mayor Pro-tem Margaret Haynes took part in the presentation ceremony.

Chamber officials said the award was named in memory of Leadership Wilmington graduate and WECT General Manager Karl Davis, who died in 2008.

Kitchin, a partner in the law firm McGuireWoods LLP, was honored for his volunteer work on community issues, in particular, those tied to economic development, officials said.

He spent four years leading an effort to revise New Hanover County’s zoning ordinance to better align with the competitive business climate of the Southeast.

Kitchin has also led the effort to create the chamber’s annual Regional Economic Scorecard and has served on the committee tasked with developing the publication each year, officials said.

Kitchin has been a fixture at the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and served as chairman of its board of directors in 2013, according to the release.

Chamber officials said that he also served as chairman of Cape Fear Future, the chamber's flagship initiative that launched the Choose Cape Fear campaign in 2017, as well as the Greater Wilmington Chamber Foundation, which is responsible for the Leadership Wilmington program.

Kitchin is also a member of the University of North Carolina Wilmington Board of Trustees.