Martha Hawkins Curran was raised in Warrenton, North Carolina.  She received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and then earned her law degree from the University of South Carolina Law School.

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For a brief time she practiced law in private practice in Charlotte before joining the Clerk of Superior Clerk's office as Legal Officer in the mid 1980's.  In 1990 she was the first woman elected Clerk and was reelected to five more terms to serve a total of 24 years in office.

​During her tenure she served on numerous statewide and local committees working to advance best practices in all areas of responsibility and authority for Clerks of Superior Court in North Carolina. She also served in numerous civic capacities to help make Charlotte and Mecklenburg County a better place.  Upon retirement she was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine acknowledging her lengthy and substantial service to the state and citizens of Mecklenburg County.

​Her greatest source of pride and humility was recognizing that some of her employees were outstanding individuals in their own right who often worked long hours under difficult budgetary constraints and a demanding public and were the backbone for a successfully operating critical element of our justice system.

​Martha passed away in 2020 leaving her husband Ned, children Ben and Brody and their families including many grandchildren.  It is in her honor that the family decided to create the Martha H. Curran Public Service Award to establish a lasting memory to a person who took pride at being entrusted by the voters of Mecklenburg County to serve the public.