President

Bernard Simelton, Sr.
President of the NAACP Alabama State Conference

Benard Simelton Sr. was born in Tiplersville, MS to Mrs. Elaine and the late Eddie H. Simelton. He graduated from Falkner High School in 1972. Benard attended College at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, MS and graduated with a B.S. degree in Sociology in 1976. Benard received his Master’s in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota 1980. Also while at Valley, he was commissioned a 2nd Lt in the Air Force. He served in the United States Air Force for 23 years and retired in 2001. His first assignment was Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota as a Missile Launch Officer. 

While in the Air Force he served in several leadership positions such as Flight Commander, Squadron Commander, Chief of Training, Inspector General, Professor of Aerospace Studies and various other key positions. While stationed at the Defense Nuclear Agency in Alexandria, VA, he was selected to served on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) negotiation team in Geneva Switzerland that completed the negation of the START Treaty between the US and countries of the Former Soviet Union.

He received numerous Defense Military Awards while serving on active duty to include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, and Humanitarian Service Medal.

Benard is very active in the community. Benard is a member of Indian Creek PB Church where he serves as a Deacon and is active with the Brotherhood. He is a life member of the NAACP and was elected as President of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP in Oct 2009. Prior to his being elected to serve as President, he served as 1st Vice President and 3rd Vice President of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP. He has served for over 6 years as President of the Limestone County Branch of the NAACP. Since joining the NAACP in Alabama, he has twice received the Regional Medgar Evers Award for Leadership and received recognition from the Alabama State Conference for outstanding leadership of a branch. In addition, he was 1st Vice President of the Albuquerque, NM Branch of the NAACP, 1998-2001. He is a member of the Athens-Limestone Foundation Board and Vice President of the Community Action Partnership for Huntsville, Madison and Limestone Counties Board of Directors. He also serves as a Scoutmaster for Troop 947. Simelton is also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and has held several chapter leadership positions in the Fraternity.

Benard currently resides in Harvest, AL where he is employed by COLSA Corporation of Huntsville, AL as a Military Program Analysts for the Missile Defense Program.
He is married to the former Elaine Erves of Vicksburg, MS who is a realtor in Huntsville. They are the proud parents of Bernard Jr., Emergency Medicine Doctor in his second year of residency at University of Conn in Hartford, CT and Eric a pharmaceutical sales representatives in Atlanta, GA.