Judge Nathaniel Moran—a Leadership Tyler Class 18 graduate—is the 2020 Leadership Tyler Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. Judge Moran is the first sitting elected official to receive this Award since its inception in 2000. Before serving as County Judge, Nathaniel consistently dedicated himself to community and civic service in the greater Tyler area. In 2005—while he was in the Leadership Tyler program—he was elected to his first term on the Tyler City Council. He continued to serve on City Council until 2009, during which time he also served on the Texas Municipal League Legislative Policy on Taxation and as a Regional 1st VP. In June 2009, he and his family moved to Houston so his son could attend a special school for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, all the while knowing that he would be back. In 2012, he returned to Tyler and resumed his commitment to volunteer public service.

In 2016, Judge Moran was appointed as the Smith County Judge, and in 2018 he was elected to his first full term, which will conclude at the end of 2022.

In the past, Judge Moran has served as the Chairman of the Board for the Discovery Science Place, which led to sky diving into Willow Brook Country Club for their annual fundraising gala just days before his 40th birthday—one of his fondest community service memories. Previously, he was also a co-founder and inaugural Chairman of the Whitehouse ISD Education Foundation, Tyler Economic Development Council executive committee member, Cancer Foundation for Life board member, Smith County Bar Association director, Smith County Young Lawyers’ Association director, Lake Tyler Advisory Board member, and Tyler Library Board member. He is also currently an Assistant Scoutmaster with Boy Scouts Troop 370 (Green Acres Baptist Church).

Past distinctions for Judge Moran include the 2008 W.C. Windsor Award, given annually by the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce to Tyler’s most outstanding citizen under the age of 40, and the 2008 Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. As a practicing attorney since 2002, he has been recognized with an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and received multi-year distinctions as a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star in the areas of Business Litigation and Creditors’ Rights.

Most importantly, he has been married to Kyna for twenty years and together they have four children: Caleb (15), Victoria (13), Juliette (4), and Lincoln (3). He is a proud member of South Spring Baptist Church.