NAACP Names New 35-Year Old CEO

The NAACP may have made one of their best strategic moves in recent years by hiring someone under 40 to lead the still relevant, but ailing civil rights organization. Benjamin Todd Jealous was named President/CEO of the NAACP this week. He is only 35 years old, the youngest leader to ever take the reins of the organization in its 99 years in existence. His appointment is not without controversy, as the NAACP’s 64-member board was apparently quite divided, but he made the cut. Benjamin was most recently President of the Rosenberg Foundation- a private foundation supporting advocacy efforts to make significant improvements in the lives of California’s working families and immigrants. He also served as Director of US Human Rights Program at Amnesty International.

I’m actually pretty excited to see where Benjamin will take us! As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution proclaims, the “new, young NAACP chief may bridge generation gap.” Indeed, Benjamin says he will use his youth to his advantage in leading the organization (my bold emphasis):

Jealous said he will make financial stability a priority for the organization and plans to use his personal relationships with top foundations around the country to build fund-raising. He said he will also focus on supporting the NAACP’s nearly 2,000 local units across the country and on using technology more effectively to “pull people into this movement.” He points to his youth as an asset in recruiting new members and said he thinks he can work to create consensus among the board’s various factions.

Hey now, maybe it’s time to renew your NAACP membership…

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Anonymous

While it is certainly exciting to see a 35 year-old take the post, I can’t help but wonder how long this new appointment will last. I was similarly intrigued by Bruce Gordon in the role. Mr. Jealous has outlined the same strategy as Mr. Gordon which leads me to believe that the problem isn’t in the CEO position as much as it is in an inefficient and sometimes counterproductive board leadership.
Anonymous

I know Ben well and he is an outstanding choice to lead the NAACP. There is no doubt that he will invigorate the institution. He is well-networked, thoughtful, and deeply committed to racial and social justice. His appointment is already exciting members of his generation, who are eager to see our venerated organizations evolve to adopt more cutting edge and forward thinking strategies. But even as Ben will embrace change, he will respect the past. There are few more cognizant and admiring of the achievements of prior generations who advanced racial justice. Ben is a student of history, of the recognized and unsung heroes of the struggle for justice. I have no doubt that he is humbled by the opportunity to follow in their footsteps and that he will honor their legacy. All of us — of any generation — who care about equal opportunity should welcome the NAACP’s astute selection. Matt Klein
Rosetta Thurman

I hope his appointment last longer than Gordon’s for sure.

Matt – thanks for your comment and for introducing Ben to us personally!
Adam Pieniazek

It’s ironic that so many organizations around the world seek creativity and innovation but then go and hire an 80 year old rich white American guy as their CEO.

Hiring a young CEO allows that CEO to make mistakes and learn from them, thus helping the organization in the long run. It’s great to see 35 year olds getting these chances, but I feel we can go even younger in our search for new leaders.

Still, kudos to the NAACP for taking a bold move, hopefully it resonates throughout society as a whole.
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