Howard Nathaniel Lee (born July 28, 1934) is an American politician who served as Mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from 1969 to 1975.

Lee moved to Savannah, Georgia, where he served as a juvenile probation officer, and married Lillian Wesley in 1962.

After encountering racial tension in his predominantly white Chapel Hill neighborhood, Lee decided to enter local politics.

[8] In 1977, Governor Jim Hunt appointed Lee as the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, a post which he held until 1981.

On May 1, 2003, the North Carolina State Board of Education elected Lee as its chairman, succeeding Phil Kirk.

[9] Lee also served as a member of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, having been appointed by Governor Mike Easley on April 1, 2005.