NAACP Names Leader Who Grew Up After Segregation Era

In a generational shift, the NAACP has named 44-year-old health care advocate Roslyn M. Brock to head the pioneering civil rights organization, succeeding Julian Bond.

The Washington Post, reporting the appointment, said it was the first time the NAACP has been led by a chair and a president, 37-year-old Benjamin Jealous, who are too young to have personally experienced legal segregation. They are the youngest ever to serve in their respective positions, the NAACP said.

Brock, who served as vice chair of the group since 2001, is director of advocacy for Bon Secours Health System in Marriottsville Md., and holds a master's degree in health care administration from George Washington University and an MBA from the Kellog School at Northwestern University. Little known nationally outside the NAACP, she has been active in the organization for more than two decades.

Bond, a supporter of Brock and Jealous, had announced he would depart after a 12-year run as the group's leader.

The NAACP, founded in 1909 by W.E.B. Dubois, is sometimes regarded as old-line, but Brock and Jealous both say they want to bring it up to date and restore the influence it enjoyed in during the mid-20th Century.

Brock said her greatest challenge would be to assure the organization remains relevant, while expanding its base and focusing on a few important issues: including education, health care, economic empowerment and criminal justice.