Ten individuals who have made outstanding contributions to interscholastic athletics have been named recipients of the 2014 Distinguished Service Awards given by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). The group included Wheeling Athletic Director Dr. Steve May (right).

These individuals will be honored December 16 in National Harbor, Maryland, during the banquet at the 45th annual National Athletic Directors Conference conducted jointly by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the NIAAA.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to individuals from within the NIAAA membership in recognition of their length of service, special accomplishments and contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels. Nominations are submitted by state athletic directors associations, screened by the NIAAA Awards Committee and selected by the NIAAA Board of Directors.

Stephen May, CMAA, Wheeling, Illinois
For almost 30 years, Stephen May, CMAA, has been contributing to the success and achievements of students in the Chicago suburbs.

May taught English and coached for a year at Crystal Lake (Illinois) Central High School before spending the next eight years at Winston Park Junior High School in Palatine, Illinois. There, he was the girls and boys basketball and wrestling coach. In 1996, he became the dean of students and basketball coach at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Illinois.

Since 2001, May has been an assistant principal of student activities at Wheeling (Illinois) High School, where he has been awarded the principal’s award twice, and works with Township High School District 214. There, May has created and maintained the Wheeling Athletic Hall of Fame and a student spirit group called “The Cat Pack.”

May has also been instrumental in the development of the Hispanic Athletic Council at his school. The council tries to find ways to help Wheeling’s growing 50 percent population of Hispanic students boost its participation in athletics and activities. It has held a summit for 11 area schools to celebrate and encourage Hispanic students to become leaders.

May was also on the committee that met to discuss synthetic turf and decided to partner with the Wheeling Park District to share a stadium in order to serve the entire community.

Within the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), May has served on the IHSA Athletic Advisory Board and the ad hoc transfer student policy committee. He served one year as a non-voting member of the IHSA Board of Directors.

Among his duties with the Illinois Athletic Directors Association (IADA), May has been president, state conference program and registration chair, and division representative.

May has been a presenter at both the IADA conference and NFHS/NIAAA National Athletic Directors Conference and has had articles published in each organization’s journal. He is currently a member of the NIAAA/NFHS National Athletic Directors Conference Advisory Committee.