NAACP panel searches for new president
October 11, 2007: 01:44 PM EST
BALTIMORE (AP) - A search committee has been set up to find a replacement for former NAACP president Bruce Gordon, the civil rights organization said.
Gordon, a former Verizon (NYSE:VZC) (NYSE:VZ) executive, resigned abruptly in March after 19 months on the job, having clashed with board members over philosophy and leadership style.
As president and chief executive, Gordon wanted the organization to combine traditional civil rights advocacy with social programs. But Chairman Julian Bond and other leaders believed the organization, founded in 1909, should keep its traditional mission.
The 15-member search committee is made up of activists, scholars and business people, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said. It will work with a headhunting firm, HNCL Search of San Francisco.
In a statement Wednesday, Bond said he was confident the group will find a replacement whose priorities match that of the leadership.
'There has been no shortage of qualified applicants,' said Bond, adding that he has received 30 unsolicited resumes.
NAACP General Counsel Dennis C. Hayes has been interim president since Gordon's departure, just as he was after Kweisi Mfume resigned the presidency in 2004. The group has battled budget shortfalls in recent months and said in June it was reducing its national staff.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press.
NAACP
