PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. (August 19, 2010)—William J. Phalen, Sr., president of the Calvert County Board of Education, was selected by the Maryland Association of Boards of Education as the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Charles W. Willis Award.
The award, named for the first Executive Director of the Association, is presented to a board member who has made outstanding contributions to school board service in Maryland. Mr. Phalen was selected from among a number of nominees recommended by local Boards of Education.
Mr. Phalen has served as an appointed and elected member of the Calvert County Board of Education since 1993, and is currently president. His activities with the Maryland Association of Boards of Education have been extensive, including chairing the Charter School Commission, and serving as president 2006-2007.
Mr. Phalen graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Platteville, and is a retired Census Bureau statistician. He and his wife are residents of Huntingtown, and have three children who all graduated from Northern High School in Calvert County.
“We are all pleased that this recognition has been granted to Bill,” said William Chambers, vice president of the Board of Education. “Bill has tirelessly served the students, families and staff of Calvert County for seventeen years as a member of the Board.”
Jack Smith, superintendent of schools, said Phalen is the ideal recipient of this award. “Bill has spent more than two decades working on behalf of the students in this community and in support of the school system,” said Smith. “He is a servant leader in every sense of the word, and he consistently acts in the best interest of students. He is respected in this county and across Maryland for his work in support of public education. He is the ideal recipient for this award.”
The award will be presented at the Maryland Association of Boards of Education Annual Conference September 30 in Ocean City, Md.
Founded in 1957, the Maryland Association of Boards of Education is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to serving and supporting boards of education in Maryland. MABE's membership includes all 24 Maryland boards of education and the Maryland State Board of Education.