Initiated into the Zeta Psi Chapter at East Carolina University, John Brian Heath was elected as the ninth collegiate province representative of Province 20 during his junior year. His term, begun when he was an undergraduate at East Carolina and concluding while a graduate student at Appalachian State's Hayes School of Music, would see the establishment of many province traditions that have become mainstays of the Sinfonian experience in North Carolina. Those two years would also see the expansion of leadership opportunities for collegiate members through the re-establishment of the province council and the new position of assistant collegiate province representative. Following graduation, he was part of a national conversation to reinvigorate the role of the alumnus in the life of the fraternity. Two years before beginning graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he was appointed as one of the first two province alumni coordinators in the country. Since then, this position has expanded to provinces nationwide. After leaving this role, he served on national committees and task forces for music outreach and leadership development, and more recently, as chair of the national music advocacy committee. In an informal way, he has continued to mentor new province leaders as they have stepped up to make their own contributions.

John's period of service as collegiate province representative was marked by a renewed enthusiasm for province interaction, increased attendance at province events, a pride in the province's past, a celebration of its diversity, and a belief that every Sinfonian must be engaged in ensuring that the province reach its fullest potential. The John Brian Heath Province Leadership Award is given annually at the Province 20 Workshop to the brother who continues this vision and demonstrates a selfless commitment to excellence in leadership and service to Sinfonia in North Carolina.

Past Recipients

2010
Robert Luke Hause III (Epsilon, 1955)
Robert Holquist

2009
Brian Smith (Pi Rho)

2008
Karl Dean Shatley, II (Rho Tau, 1993)

2007
Ryan Travis Ripperton (Alpha Rho, 1995)

2006
Michael Knight (Omicron Epsilon, 2002)

2005
O'Nicholas Lindsey (Pi Rho, 2000)

2004
Richard Sigler (Iota Epsilon, 1993)

2003
Patrick Shawn Clancy (Rho Tau, 1995)

2002
Patrick McGraw (Omicron Epsilon, 1995)

2001
John Brian Heath (Zeta Psi/Rho Tau)

1994
James G. Daugherty (Rho Tau, 1990)
Marshall Johnson (Iota Epsilon, 1992)

When the award was given out in 1994, it was simply called the Province Leadership Award. It was not given out again until 2001, when it was renamed for former CPR John Brian Heath.