Steve Gallon III, Miami-Dade School Board Member for District One, received the Benjamin Elijah Mays Lifetime Achievement Award from the National School Boards Association Council of Urban Boards of Education’s (CUBE).
Micah Ali, chairman of the Council of Urban Boards of Education, lauded Gallon in announcing the honor.
“For nearly 30 years, at every level of public education, Dr. Steve Gallon III has championed the education and uplift of children in urban school,” Ali said.
The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to the educational needs of urban school children through his or her service as a local school board member.
Gallon has spent nearly 30 years as an educator. He began his career as a teacher in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and then served as an assistant principal at Holmes Elementary School.
Gallon was promoted to principal at Miami Northwestern High school before moving into a district administrator position. He later became superintendent of schools in a New Jersey district, before returning to Florida. In 2016 he was elected to the District One position.
Supporters say Gallon has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advocacy and equity for students in the urban core.
The award was presented to Dr. Gallon at a special luncheon held at the Ritz-Carlton Sept. 29 during CUBE’s 50th annual conference in New Orleans. Fellow Miami-Dade County school board members Perla Tabares Hantman, Susie Castillo and Mari Tere Rojas also attended the conference to cheer Gallon on.
