New Durham County board chair drives a school bus in his spare time
The Durham County commissioners on Monday elected Mike Lee its new chair and former Chair Nida Allam its new vice chair.
Lee, who was elected commissioner in 2024 and has been the vice chair the past year, was unanimously approved after Allam nominated him.
Lee said he was “deeply grateful for your trust in me to lead this wonderful board into whatever’s next.”
“To Durham, I look forward to representing you as your chair,” he said. “There is something here in Durham that we can all do that is above and beyond the privilege that we have. We can volunteer, we can support DPS, DSS, whoever we can support in some capacity.”
Lee moved to Durham in 1997 and served for eight years on the Durham Public Schools Board of Education, where he helped hire former Superintendent Pascal Mubenga. He also drives a school bus for the district to assist in the driver shortage.
Outside of his commissioner duties, Lee works at Avalara, a tax and compliance software company based in Durham. He has also been a sports coach and mentor for youth.
Allam elected vice chair
After Lee took his place as the new chair, he opened nominations for the vice chair role. Commissioner Michelle Burton nominated Allam, who was also unanimously approved.
Allam served as the board’s chair for two years, after being chosen in 2023. First elected in 2020, she became the first Muslim American woman elected to office in the state.
“This year especially has been great to collaborate and learn and support our new commissioners as they transition onto the board,” she said. “I’m really excited to be able to continue to serve in leadership as vice chair and I appreciate you entrusting me with this position.”
The Durham County Board of Commissioners elects a new chair and vice chair each December. The commissioners are responsible for overseeing and approving the county’s budget, setting a countywide tax rate and determining local school funding, after the school board makes a recommendation. The commissioners also appoint other local officials and pass local ordinances.
The five commissioners are elected to four-year terms and represent the entire county. The 2024 election brought three new members to the board: Lee, Burton, and Commissioner Stephen Valentine.
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 12:41 PM with the headline "New Durham County board chair drives a school bus in his spare time."