Shelly LaPrince, Director of Healthcare Economics for Johns Hopkins Health Plans, has been named an honored recipient of the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Community Service. Shelly joins a select group of nine awardees who have earned recognition for their outstanding commitments to volunteer community service and to humanity.

Award recipients will be celebrated during Johns Hopkins Medicine’s 42nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration. This year, noted educator, humanitarian and former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison will be the keynote speaker at the event, which takes place on Friday, Jan. 12.

Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, builds bridges, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a united, thriving and equitable community. Shelly shares King’s view and, rather than wait for a “Day of Service,” she has put her beliefs to work, making real impacts through service and advocacy.

Inspired to activism by her father’s example of service, Shelly has been working to make a difference in her communities for more than 20 years. Her father had served in the military and worked full-time while raising a family, yet still committed time to help others in their community.

Shelly’s passion has steered her volunteerism to a range of community needs, such as mentoring young girls and teens on personal issues, academic participation and confidence building. Whether serving with a local agency or on her own, Shelly is all about delivering meaningful solutions, from adopting families from local schools for the holidays, to participating in reading programs for inner city youth, to packing meals for elderly families.

Shelly’s personal experiences while trying to conceive a child inspired her to support individuals who are dealing with infertility and ignited her talent as an advocate. Her current advocacy activism is focused on working to ensure that Jewish women of African descent have safe spaces to be seen and heard.

Johns Hopkins Health Plans congratulates Shelly and the other honored recipients of the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award for their inspiring example of community service. We thank you for your passionate embrace of Dr. King’s call to serve.