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2026 Honorees Recognized for Service and Leadership on Behalf of Montgomery County Youth
The Montgomery County Commission on Children and Youth has named three recipients of the Dr. Nancy Dworkin Award for Outstanding Service to Youth. The 2026 awards mark the return of a countywide tradition that recognized individuals and organizations for 33 years before being paused in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s honorees are the first recipients recognized since 2019.
The 2026 recipients are Wylea Chase (Adult Volunteer), Alexandra Cox (Youth), and the Montgomery County, Maryland Section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) Education Committee (Nonprofit Partner).
“I have always believed that one of the most important things we can do as a community is invest in our young people and make sure they have opportunities to succeed,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “That work happens in many different ways, and often it is the result of people and organizations quietly doing the work every day. The Dr. Nancy Dworkin Award helps us recognize those contributions. I congratulate Wylea Chase, Alexandra Cox, and the Montgomery County Section of the National Council of Negro Women’s Education Committee, and I am glad to see this important tradition return.”
About the Award and Its Return
The award is named in memory of Nancy Dworkin, a former chair of the Commission who died in 1987. Dworkin directed the Center for Unique Learners, a Rockville school serving children with learning disabilities. Her work was based on the philosophy of “teaching to strength”— helping each student develop their abilities and reach their potential. That philosophy continues to inform the award, which recognizes individuals and organizations whose service helps young people reach their potential.
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First presented in the 1980s, the award honors individuals and organizations whose dedication and service have made a difference in the lives of Montgomery County’s children and youth. For 2026, the Commission is recognizing recipients publicly rather than holding a formal ceremony as it re-establishes the award program.
“The Dworkin Award was paused during the pandemic, but the work it recognizes never stopped,” said Michael A. Jiménez Jr., chair of the Commission on Children and Youth. “Bringing this award back was one of the Commission’s priorities this year because we believe it is more important than ever to shine a light on the people and organizations showing up for our young people. These three honorees represent exactly why this tradition deserves to return.”
2026 Recipients
Wylea Chase — Adult Volunteer Award
Wylea Chase is a community advocate and education leader who serves as senior director of Collective Impact at Leadership Montgomery, where she works with cross-sector partners to develop solutions that strengthen communities across Montgomery County. She previously served for three years as chief operating officer of the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence, advancing policies and practices focused on equity and opportunity for students, particularly Black, Brown, and low-income students.
Chase has more than 15 years of service with the NAACP Parent Council and has been an active leader with the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, serving on its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Curriculum Committees. She is a member of the African American Advisory Group and serves on the board of Pride Youth Services, which helps Black youth expand their potential and achieve their goals. She has advocated for educational equity and family engagement and works to turn community input into action.
Alexandra Cox — Youth Award
Alexandra Cox, 18, of Gaithersburg, served for two years on the Commission on Children and Youth, including one year as chair of its youth subcommittee. In that role, she led a team of seven young people from across Montgomery County to amplify youth voices and represent issues important to their peers.
Cox led the effort to organize the Commission’s first in-person Youth Voice Roundtable since before the pandemic. The event brought middle and high school students together to discuss issues affecting them. A recent graduate of Holton-Arms School, Cox is now studying at Brown University. She is interested in social justice, health equity, and youth representation in policy.
Cox encourages other young people who want to make a difference to research issues they care about, ask questions, and use available resources.
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NCNW Montgomery County Education Committee — Nonprofit Partner Award
The Education Committee of the Montgomery County, Maryland Section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is being recognized for its work providing young people with mentorship, leadership development, and other resources to help them succeed. Guided by the section’s motto, “Serving Is What We Do,” and the legacy of NCNW founder Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, the committee works to promote cultural pride and leadership skills among high school students.
The committee’s flagship initiative, F.A.M.E. (Females Achieving and Maintaining Excellence), is a leadership development program that runs on the Montgomery County Public Schools calendar from September through June and meets at the White Oak Recreation Center. The program connects students with mentors and role models, builds critical thinking and communication skills, and encourages academic success and community involvement.
The committee also has focused recent program efforts on student mental health, scholarship opportunities, tutoring, and mentoring for students seeking to improve their academic standing. The section awards the Dr. Judith Docca Academic Excellence Scholarships to Montgomery County high school seniors.
About the Commission on Children and Youth
The Montgomery County Commission on Children and Youth promotes the well-being of the community’s children, youth, and families so that all young people may realize their full potential. The Commission identifies the needs of young people, their families, and the organizations that serve them, and advises the County Executive, County Council, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Board of Education, and the community at large. It recommends policies, programs, funding, and legislative priorities, and advocates for all of Montgomery County’s young people by affirming their needs, aspirations, and achievements.
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Read the original article at mcdhhs
