Charles County Board of Education member Yonelle Moore Lee, Esq., has been named the recipient of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education’s 2026 Distinguished School Board Service Award, the association’s highest individual honor for a Maryland school board member.
MABE said the award, inspired by the legacy of the association’s first full-time executive director, Charles W. Willis, is presented annually to a single school board member statewide who has made outstanding contributions to public education through board service. Moore Lee was nominated for the honor by Charles County Public Schools and will receive the award Oct. 19 during MABE’s Annual Conference in Annapolis.
In nominating Moore Lee, Charles County officials cited her work strengthening accountability, communication and public trust during her time on the board, and described her as “a passionate advocate for educational equity, inclusion, and excellence for all students.” MABE Executive Director Joseph “Joe” Goetz said Moore Lee’s “impressive record of public education and community service speaks for itself.”
Moore Lee, an attorney, mediator and small business owner, currently chairs the Charles County Board of Education and sits on MABE’s own Board of Directors. She also serves as chairperson of the National Black Council of School Board Members and as an ex officio member of the National School Boards Association Board of Directors — national roles the Chronicle reported on when she was appointed to them in 2025. She is also a member of the Leadership Maryland Class of 2024, Leadership Southern Maryland, and the boards of the Charles County Scholarship Fund and the United Way of the National Capital Area. Born in Guyana, Moore Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of the District of Columbia and a law degree from Pepperdine University.
MABE also announced that Milton “Milt” Nagel, the association’s executive director from 2023 to 2026, will receive its “Excellence in Education” award at the same conference. Nominated by the Caroline County Board of Education, Nagel was recognized for what nominators called “exceptional leadership, unwavering devotion to public education in Maryland, and a lifelong commitment to the highest standards of excellence and public service.” Nagel previously served nearly three decades with Caroline County Public Schools, including as assistant superintendent for administrative services and a stint as interim superintendent, before leading MABE. He is now vice president for administrative services at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills.
MABE President Diana Hawley, a member of the Cecil County School Board, said both honorees have made “a lasting impact on public education in Maryland.”
