Uncrowned Community Builders

A native of Louisiana, Dr. Seals Nevergold moved to the East side of Buffalo, New York in 1947 with her parents, the late Clara Ellis Seals and Rev. Willie B. Seals, seven brothers and sister. She is a graduate of the Buffalo Public Schools and Buffalo State College, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in French Education. She is also an alumnus of the University at Buffalo with Masters of Education degrees in French Education and Counseling Education. In 1986 she earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree at UB in Counseling Education. Dr. Seals Nevergold also studied French at Laval University in Quebec, Canada and at the University of Dijon in Dijon, France.


Dr. Seals Nevergold began her career as a French teacher in the Buffalo School System. She also worked as a guidance counselor in the system. Subsequent positions have included: Executive Director of Niagara Frontier Association for Sickle Cell Disease, Inc.; Vice President for Children's Services at Friendship House of Western New York, Inc.; CEO of Planned Parenthood of Buffalo and Erie County, Inc.; and Regional Director for Berkshire Farm Center. Dr. Seals Nevergold retired as the Director of Student Support Services at the University of Buffalo's Educational Opportunity Center. She has also held adjunct instructional positions at Empire State College and the University at Buffalo. Beginning in the Fall of 2006, Dr. Nevergold and fellow co-founder, Dr. Peggy Brooks-Bertram, of the Uncrowned Queens Institute began working full-time on the establishment of the Uncrowned Queens Center for Excellence at the University at Buffalo.


From 2006 to 2010 the Uncrowned Queens Center for Excellence at the University at Buffalo enhanced the work of the Institute by giving it a home and supporting the extension of the numerous programs developed and implemented by the Institute. The Uncrowned Queens Institute, founded in 1999 by Drs. Seals Nevergold and Brooks-Bertram, promotes the collection, preservation and dissemination of the individual histories of women, women's organizations and women's collective history; and to teach and educate women on the use of technology to preserve and disseminate their histories.


Dr. Seals Nevergold is an educator, administrator, community and political activist. She has been a vocal advocate for parental involvement in the public schools. In 1989, she also co-founded, with Dr. Brooks-Bertram, Concerned Parents and Citizens for Quality Education, Inc. CPCQE was credited with increasing public awareness of educational issues and organizing parents as effective advocates. In addition, she served on a number of committees and task forces established by the Buffalo Board of Education. An un-successful run for school board in 1993 was nonetheless successful in demonstrating the importance of parental involvement in local school politics.


Dr. Nevergold was appointed an at-large member of the Buffalo Board of Education in 2012. She served as the President of the Board from July 2013 to July 2014. In May 2014, she was elected to a five year term. She has served as President of the Board from 2014 - July 2019. She is an active participant in many of the District's task groups and committees. Dr. Nevergold also serves as the 2015-17 Treasurer of the NYS Conference of Big 5 School Districts and having served as that group's President for a one year term. She was re-appointed President of the Big 5 for 2018-2019. She was a member of the Resolutions Committee of the New York State School Boards Association. She was elected to serve on the Executive Board of the Council of Great City Schools for a three year period from 2016-2019.


Dr. Seals Nevergold has served in leadership roles on numerous local and national boards. She serves on the boards of Graycliff Conservancy and the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier. Previous Board memberships include: Buffalo Psychiatric Center's Board of Visitors (for nearly 25 years), the Studio Arena Theatre, Heritage Centers, Buffalo General Hospital, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., Kaleida Health Trustee Steering Committee, Gethsemane Manor Senior Citizen Home, St. John Christian Academy, Columbus Hospital, the YWCA of Buffalo and Erie County, the Buffalo Rotary Club, the Western New York Council for African Relief, and the Buffalo Alliance for Education.


She is the author of: "The Untold Story of James B. Parker" in Western New York Heritage Magazine (Winter 2018); "From Pan Am Protests to the Niagara Movement: the Buffalo Connection" (2005); "Fantastic Color & Special Effects: The Seals Ebony Studio" in Western New York Heritage Magazine (Spring, 2002); "To Be an Instrument for Their Voices: Finding, Writing and Sharing Family Histories" in Afro-Americans in New York Life and History, (July 2001); and "Transracial Adoption: In the Child's Best Interest?" in African America Women's Health and Social Issues, Catherine F. Collins (editor).


Drs. Seals Nevergold and Brooks-Bertram have co-authored Uncrowned Queens: African American Community Builders of Western New York, Vol. 1 (2002), Vol. 2 (2003) and Vol. 3 (2005) and Uncrowned Queens: African American Community Builders of Oklahoma (2007). A family historian, Dr. Seals Nevergold is currently writing a family history of her maternal family. She has also given numerous presentations and workshops at conferences.


She also co-authored Go, Tell Michelle: African American Women Write to the New First Lady (SUNY Press, 2009). The book (which is also in audio book form) features a compilation of letters and poems written to First Lady, Michelle Obama from 100 women throughout the United States and Africa. A play of the same name was co-authored by Dr. Robert Knopf, Dr. Bertram and Dr. Seals Nevergold.


Dr. Seals Nevergold has received numerous awards including: the Williams Wells Brown Award in recognition of her efforts to preserve local African American history; the UB Star Award 2001 for outstanding work on the Pan-American Exposition centennial celebration; the Excellence in Education Award from Xi Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; the Community Service Award from the Mary B. Talbert Civic and Cultural Club; the Community Service Awards from the Community Action Organization and the Buffalo Chapter NAACP (2006). She and Dr. Brooks-Bertram were also recipients of the Brotherhood-Sisterhood Award for Education from the National Conference for Community and Justice (2005) and the Keeper of the Flame Award from the National Women's Hall of Fame (2006).


Dr. Seals Nevergold is a life-member and "Silver Soror" of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. since 1987. She has served the Sorority, as a member of Xi Epsilon Omega Chapter, in several capacities, including many years as Ivy Leaf Reporter and Corresponding Secretary. In addition, she is a former member of the Erie County Chapter of the Links, Inc. She has served on the Christian Education Ministry and is active in other activities at her church, St. John Baptist Church.


Dr. Seals Nevergold is married to Paul R. Nevergold and they have two adult children, Alanna Elizabeth Nevergold Marrow and Kyle Robert and four grandchildren, Naia Ellison Reese Marrow, Cameron Josef Nevergold, Nahri Elizabeth Ann-Marie Marrow and William James Nevergold.