Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds
Issue link: https://diversitywoman.epubxp.com/i/632328
40 D I V E R S I T Y W O M A N W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 d i v e r s i t y w o m a n . c o m committed to high performance. Her gift is to set a clear vision, assemble the right team and resources, and then use the levers of leadership to drive forward. Somehow, while doing all this, she weaves her wonderful sense of humor into the mix!" A ARP was founded in California in 1958 by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired high school principal. It grew out of the National Retired Teachers Association, which Andrus had started in the late 1940s to assist teachers with issues around aging and health care. In its early years, AARP focused on advocating for health insurers to provide insurance to retired Americans. Ever since, it has been an efective lobbying and ad- vocacy organization for issues that matter to older Americans, including Social Security, Medicare, afordable health care, and long-term care. To that end, AARP has launched Take a Stand, a program that puts pressure on all the presidential candidates to take an artic- ulated, public stand on the future of Social Security and Medi- care. "Social Security and Medicare are the bedrock of the whole health-care system in this country," Jenkins says. We know that Social Security, while solid today, will face an uncertain future by 2033. We would like the new president and the Congress to come up with so- lutions ahead of that time frame so we don't reach a crisis point." Advocacy is just one of AARP's focal points. It has an active litigation de- partment that combats age discrimi- nation in the workplace. Te organi- zation is also an important resource for health-care and fnancial security information and services. In 2014, for example, 37,000 people volunteered for the AARP Tax-Aide program and prepared 2.6 million tax returns for low- and moderate-income Ameri- cans over age 50, making the program the fourth-largest tax preparer in the country. Under Jenkins's leadership, AARP has expanded its outreach into low- income and vulnerable populations around the United States, including African American, Latino, and Asian communities, which are among the fastest-growing demographics both in the country and in AARP's membership ranks. It has been beefng up its state and local ofces to provide more information, products, and services, such as free hearing exams, and has partnered with Walgreens to ofer free health tests that can reveal symptoms of heart disease, diabetes, and other medical conditions. Ultimately, Jenkins sees AARP as a social change organiza- tion—a campaign to change both the perception of Americans over 50 and their day-to-day reality. She wants to challenge the cultural norms around growing older so that aging is considered a cause for celebration and respect, rather than dismissal and fear. "I often say that ageism is one of the last permissible forms of discrimination," she says. "We don't allow it if it's by race, sexual orientation, or even income levels, but we still make fun of people of a certain age. 'Oh, you're turning 50, you're over the hill.' Why do we still allow people to say that, even comedians?" (Given that, it's probably not a good idea to walk with Jenkins down the aisle of a stationery store stufed with birthday cards for folks over 50, as you'll likely get an earful!) AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins greets Presi- dent Barack Obama before he delivers a speech at AARP headquarters in Washington D.C. last year.