Upstate's Nakeia Chambers and Simone Seward have been honored with inception into the inaugural Class of CNY Legacy: 40 Over 40.

The award celebrates individuals whose leadership and dedication shape Central New York. The awards recognize outstanding professionals who continue to drive innovation, leadership, and community impact beyond the age of 40.

Chambers, director of Access Programs and Multicultural Affairs Student Inclusion, and Seward, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, were honored April 5, at the Treasury at the Palladian in Syracuse, along without other "leaders, visionaries and changemakers" from business and government to education, health, and the arts.

Chambers, MSEd, is a graduate of Nottingham High School, and her foundation was shaped by community and educational access programs such as the Dunbar Center, and the Southwest Community Center. These experiences ignited her passion for educational equity and community engagement.

With over 20 years of experience as an access practitioner, Chambers has dedicated her career to fostering a student body and workforce that reflect the diverse communities they serve, while creating an inclusive and supportive educational environment. Since 2006, she has served in multiple roles at Upstate Medical University, spanning Student Admissions, Student Affairs, Affirmative Action, and Diversity and Inclusion. She currently leads initiatives to recruit and foster a student body and workforce that reflect the diverse communities they serve, while creating an inclusive and supportive educational environment.

Chambers is widely recognized for her unwavering commitment to historically underrepresented students and has been a tireless advocate for their success beyond academia. She works closely with multicultural affinity organizations across New York State, conducting workshops and mentoring students on their paths to higher education and vocational success. Through active family and community engagement, she seeks to eliminate achievement and attainment gaps by providing opportunities that uplift and empower.

Through the New York State Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), Chambers earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. Bonaventure University. A mother of two daughters, she is currently pursuing a doctorate in inclusive leadership at Syracuse University.

Seward, DrPh, MPH, who also serves as director of the Community-Engaged Learning Program, began her career in public health in 2004 at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as a public health prevention specialist. Since 2009, she has had various jobs at Upstate through which she works to advance health equity. Seward is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine. She has served as the director of the Center for Civic Engagement in the Division of Student Affairs as well as program coordinator for the Master of Public Health Program.

For the past five years, Seward has successfully worked with communities of color to improve understanding, prevention, and reduction of maternal mortality and morbidity among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomically disadvantaged women. She is a public health fellow working with the Onondaga County Health Department to develop a strategic plan to address Black Maternal and Child Health.

With over 20 years of extensive training and experience at the federal, state, local levels and in academia, Seward has focused on engagement and participatory research to ensure that community health interventions and programs are based on the needs and/or assets of the community. Her diverse skill set has allowed her to tackle complex public health challenges while utilizing innovative approaches to improve community health.

She holds a doctor of public health degree from the University at Albany School of Public Health, a master’s degree from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree from University of Rochester.

Caption: Nakeia Chambers, left, and Simone Seward were named to the inaugural class of CNY Legacy: 40 over 40.