Lifetime Achievement Award

The Benjamin Elijah Mays Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE). The award is given to an individual who, for the span of his/her lifetime, has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to representing the educational needs of urban schoolchildren through his/her service as a local school board member.

Who was Benjamin Elijah Mays?
Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays is remembered for his outstanding leadership and service as a scholar, teacher, minister, mentor, author and civil rights activist. Benjamin Mays became a member of the Atlanta Board of Education in 1969 and served as its president from 1970-1981 where he tirelessly worked to provide equal educational opportunities for children. Dr. Mays died on March 28, 1984.

Past Winners:
2011: Ms. Eva Carrillo Dong, Tucson (AZ)
2010: Mr. Henry J. Godfrey, Hampton (VA)
2009: Dr. John Harding Lucas, Sr., Durham (NC)  
2008: Dr. Ulysses Van Spiva, Virginia Beach (VA)
2007: Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, Atlanta (GA) 

For more information on the Benjamin Elijah Mays Lifetime Achievement Award, please contact cube@nsba.org.  The current year's award criteria and application are available in July.