ROSLYN BROCK, YOUNGEST CHAIR OF THE NAACP

The NAACP welcomed in a new era Saturday with the appointment of the
youngest-ever board chairperson in the civil rights organization's
101-year history.

Health care executive Roslyn Brock, 44, was elected by the 64-person board of directors to succeed Julian Bond, 70, who has been at the helm for the past 10 years.

Brock has been vice chairman of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People since 2001 and a member for more than 25 years.

She announced her candidacy last August after Bond said he planned to retire.

"The board has voted to entrust the civil rights movement into the hands of
the next generation," Brock said during a press conference at the New
York Hilton, shortly after the NAACP board met to endorse her. "We find
ourselves in a period of political and social change," Brock said. "The
NAACP must reexamine, reevaluate and renew itself.

Brock is vice president of advocacy and government relations at Bon Secours Health Systems in Maryland. Members of the 500,000-strong organization said they hoped her appointment
would bring new vitality to the group, which has been been accused of being old and out of touch in recent years.

"This is a moment for the history books," NAACP President Ben Jealous said. "Roslyn Brock is somebody who knows how to build bridges. She is exactly who we need right now."

Brock also is the first female to head the board of directors in more than a
decade, and the fourth woman to hold the position in its history. She
said she plans to focus on pushing for policy changes to stamp out
inequality, build relationships among the various NAACP branches and
hold people accountable.

Using the Internet and social media to strengthen the profile of the organization also will be a priority.

Brock is a graduate of Virginia Union University, and has an MBA from Northwestern and master's degrees in health care administration and divinity. She has described health care as her passion.

"The future is calling us, and the NAACP will answer," Brock said.