That's right folks, AARP announced a brand new CEO for the organization this morning, and the winner is...drum roll...A. Barry Rand!
After 8 wonderful years with Bill Novelli leading the ranks, Rand will be taking over next month as the organization's first African-American chief executive officer. He has a long history at Xerox as Executive Vice President of WorldWide Operations, where he worked for 30 years building the company to what it is, all the while making sure that minorities and women had equal opportunities.
Rand is also board chairman at Howard University, and helped to launch the renowned Executive Leadership Council, an organization that recognizes the strengths and impact of African-American corporate business leaders. In other words, this guy has been around! This is not to mention his experience as a caregiver for his father during the last 8 years of his life motivated his advocacy for the critical issues around AARP's agenda. Says Rand:
"AARP and I have long shared the belief that health care and long-term financial security should be the goals of this nation, goals we all have an obligation to help achieve--from government to corporate America to the individual.""Lifetime health care and financial security are terms far too many believe are out of reach; not just for older Americans or aging Americans, but for all Americans . . . While we have come far because of the efforts of AARP, we have much left to achieve. I look forward to building on these successes as we continue our work in Congress and in state capitals across the nation. The fight will not be easy, but if I've learned one thing in my career, it's that nothing worthwhile ever is."
Sounds like we'll be in good hands with Rand. Read more about his work here at Bulletin Today. We'll have more to share in exclusive interview footage here on Shaarp Session in the coming weeks!
