Born May 23, 1935 in Wilmington, North Carolina to a Jewish immigrant father, Maxine S. Seller was influenced at an early age by discrimination and issues of marginality and identity that she faced as an ethnic minority. These early life experiences while living in a small bible-belt town went on to shape her research interest and professional career. During her senior year at Bryn Mawr College, Seller conducted honors research with her American history professor Helen Taft Manning, daughter of William Howard Taft. She graduated from Bryn Mawr with honors in History and received her masters and doctoral degrees in history from the University of Pennsylvania.

During the beginning of her work at UB, from 1974 to 1982, Seller was both a history and social foundations professor. Additionally, she was an Arts Coordinator from 1974-1975. After 1982, Seller remained a professor of history but replaced teaching social foundations with educational organization, administration, and policy, where she was part of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy until 2002. Seller is a professor emeritus from University at Buffalo.

In 1989, Maxine Seller was elected president of the History of Education Society. She also served as a member of the editorial board of the SUNY Press and as the book review editor of the Journal of American Ethnic history.

Maxine Seller’s publications include books, monographs, book chapters, and articles in the field of ethnic historical studies with emphasis in the areas of ethnic theater and the education of immigrants and women. Seller has held national offices in the American Historical Association, the American Educational Studies Association, the Immigration History Society, and in the Division F (History) of the American Educational Research Association.