School behavioral health professionals to be honored

School staff who support the mental health of Delaware students are being recognized for their contributions.

The state will name its 2026 Delaware Behavioral Health Professional of the Year at a statewide celebration on Monday, May 18th. Delaware's districts and the Delaware Charter School Network named local Behavioral Health Professionals of the Year for 2026. Following an application and interview process, one will be named the state honoree.

The Delaware State Behavioral Health Professional of the Year (BHPOY) program is administered by the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE). The program recognizes outstanding service by school employees who are health care practitioners or human service providers who offer services for the purpose of improving an individual's mental health. The Delaware Charter School Network also is invited to participate. Employees considered for the award include:

• School counselors
• School social workers
• Licensed clinical social workers
• School psychologists
• School nurses

From those nominated at a local level, one behavioral health professional of the year moves forward to represent each district or the charter school community in the state program. Each district/charter network honoree receives a $2,000 personal award from the professional's district or charter school. The state program then chooses one person annually to serve as Delaware's Behavioral Health Professional of the Year. State honorees receive an additional $3,000 personal award from the department as well as $5,000 to be used for the educational benefit of the state honoree's students.

The 2026 District/Charter Behavioral Health Professionals of the Year are:

• Appoquinimink School District: Debra Taylor, school counselor, Townsend Elementary School
• Brandywine School District: Tina Lombardo, school counselor, Mount Pleasant Elementary School
• Caesar Rodney School District: Nicole Boris, school counselor, Nellie Stokes Elementary School
• Cape Henlopen School District: Terri Tipton, school social worker, Sussex Consortium
• Capital School District: Heather Barcus, school nurse, Hartly Elementary School
• Christina School District: Angelique "Angel" Boyce, school nurse, Sarah Pyle Academy
• Colonial School District: Nicole Irwin, school social worker, John Leach School
• Delaware Charter School Network: Dawnyel Furlong, school nurse, Sussex Academy
• Indian River School District: Denise Parsons, school nurse, Selbyville Middle School
• Lake Forest School District: Jennifer Satterfield, school counselor, Lake Forest Central Elementary School
• Laurel School District: Logan Downes, school nurse, Laurel High School
• Milford School District: Angel Mills, school counselor, Morris Early Childhood Center
• New Castle County Vo-Tech School District: Kristan Garofalo, school counselor, Hodgson Vocational Technical High School
• POLYTECH School District: Andrea Spence, school counselor, POLYTECH High School
• Red Clay Consolidated School District: Kelly R. Nichol, school psychologist, Conrad Schools of Science
• Seaford School District: Rhonda Bailey, school social worker, Blades Elementary School
• Smyrna School District: Dina Pennington, school counselor, Sunnyside Elementary School
• Sussex County Vocational Technical School District: Krista Schirmer, school counselor, Sussex Technical High School
• Woodbridge School District: Taylor Richey, school counselor, Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center

DDOE will livestream the May 18th event following the dinner portion of the night. The livestream will start around 7:15 p.m.

Find photos of the 2026 honorees online here.