COLUMBIA, Md. — Beverly White-Seals, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Howard County, announced that she will retire from her role later this year after 13 years of dedicated service to the organization.
During her tenure, White-Seals oversaw record-breaking fundraising efforts and expanded the organization’s impact throughout the community. Under her leadership, the Community Foundation distributed more than $28 million in grants to nonprofits and established initiatives to address key issues facing Howard County. In 2024, the foundation funded nearly $2.2 million in scholarships and grants.
“On behalf of the board of trustees, we want to extend our sincere gratitude to Beverly for her 13 years of exceptional service and support to the foundation,” said Barbara Rishel, chair of the foundation’s board of trustees. “Under her leadership and vision, the foundation has grown significantly and continues to flourish. Her initiatives and steadfast commitment have expanded the foundation’s outreach to all areas of Howard County, including to some of our most recently arrived foreign-born neighbors, and her impact on the nonprofit community is immeasurable. Beverly continues to be an inspiration to me and many others, and her guidance and invaluable perspective will be missed.”
Key accomplishments during White-Seals’ tenure at the foundation include:
- Increased financial capacity and sustainability of the foundation
- More than doubled assets under management from $15 million to $39 million
- Grew total stewarded funds from ~300 to more than 400 invested funds
- Created the foundation’s operating endowment fund
- Elevated the foundation’s role as a convener and change agent for all of Howard County
- Rebranded organization in 2012 to Community Foundation of Howard County from Columbia Foundation to better represent the larger community that it serves
- Partnered with the innovative Community Homes Housing Inc., a nonprofit agency fund (and largest fund at the Community Foundation), to help with redevelopment of mixed-income housing units in Columbia
- Spearheaded the philanthropic response for the 2016 and 2018 Ellicott City floods
- Helped form HoCo Responds with three other grant-making entities to coordinate COVID-19 pandemic response
- Formalized a partnership with county government to assist in future emergencies
- Increased the independence and capacity of the foundation to serve the community through staffing additions, fund development, technology implementation and strategic leadership
- Negotiated office building/location/space agreement and naming rights donation, establishing The Apple Ford Center at historic Athol Manor and creating a permanent home for the foundation
- Established the Real Estate Charitable Foundation of Maryland under the umbrella of the foundation to support nonprofits’ ability to receive real estate as a charitable gift
- Founding member of the Howard County Estate Planning Council
- Founding member of the Black Philanthropy Circle of Howard County
“I have known Beverly almost 10 years and have been so impressed with her leadership, success and growth of the Community Foundation of Howard County,” said Greg Kahlert, president and board chair of The Kahlert Foundation. “Hence, The Kahlert Foundation has been proud to support Beverly and their programs each and every year. Beverly has been a pleasure to work with, and I consider her an excellent leader and a good friend. She’s amazing! My wife, Roberta, and I offer best wishes for Beverly in her upcoming retirement later this year.”
White-Seals has been a staple of the Howard County community since moving to Columbia in 1979 to take a position as an attorney with the Rouse Company. For the next 20 years she provided real estate and employment counsel in the Rouse Company legal department while she and her husband, Dr. Jerry Seals, established their imprint on the local community.
She then served as of counsel with the firm Hodes, Ulman, Pessin & Katz P.C. for several years before rejoining Rouse’s successor entity where she served as assistant general counsel for General Growth Properties. Prior to joining the foundation, she was director of workforce diversity and provided legal counsel on employment law at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Health System from 2006 to 2012.
White-Seals has served on more than 20 nonprofit boards across the region, balancing a mix of her professional expertise along with her passion for community service and the arts. Notably, she served as board chair of Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center and on the boards of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Heifetz International Music Institute and Horizon Foundation. She also is a founding board member of the Real Estate Charitable Foundation of Maryland and the Howard County Estate Planning Council.
White-Seals expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve the community and work alongside so many dedicated individuals. She said, “It has been an honor to lead the Community Foundation of Howard County and work toward creating a better future for our residents. I am proud of all that we have accomplished together.”
For quotes from community leaders about White-Seals and more about plans to recognize White-Seals, visit the Community Foundation of Howard County’s website.
The Community Foundation of Howard County serves as a knowledgeable, trusted partner that forges connections between donors and nonprofit organizations to provide impactful investments in Howard County. In 2023, the foundation awarded more than $1.7 million through 425 grants to organizations delivering human service, arts and cultural, educational and civic programs. Money for the grant programs comes primarily from income generated by the foundation’s endowment supported by more than 400 funds established by Howard County businesses, families and individuals. For more information, visit CFHoCo.org or call 410-730-7840.
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