Nelson Appointed to Second Term as AARP Virginia President
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2003-08-29 11:11:38
Ruth Nelson, Ph.D. of Fredericksburg was appointed Jan. 2 to a second two-year term as AARP Virginia President. AARP procedures provide for a state president to serve three two-year terms.
Since joining the Fredericksburg chapter in 1992, Nelson has initiated several AARP volunteer community service projects and established an AARP chapter at Lake of the Woods subdivision.
In her first volunteer project she went to jail—as a volunteer instructor, helping inmates prepare for the GED examination to get their high school diplomas.
"It was as rewarding as any teaching I've done," Nelson explains.
In addition, she assisted the Rappahannock Regional Library with its adult literacy program. She is especially proud of assisting young men and women who left the welfare system for the world of work by increasing their educational skills.
In 1996, Nelson was named AARP Associate State Coordinator for Community Operations and later an AARP's Southeastern region Diversity Trainer. Her classes emphasized to AARP volunteer leaders the importance of understanding diversity and its advantages for the organization.
Nelson moved to Fredericksburg in 1993, not knowing anyone in the community. She selected Fredericksburg as her retirement home following a careful evaluation of communities around the country.
Her move to Fredericksburg followed a 34-year career with the Detroit Public School System. Most of her educational career involved student counseling and motivation both in the Detroit school system and in special projects at Wayne State University.
As Director of a program sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, Nelson followed the progress of 250-280 students for 12 years beginning in the seventh grade.
The Foundation agreed to pay for the college education for all the students that met college admission requirements. She proudly notes that more than 50 percent of the group earned college degrees and more than 70 percent completed some college.
As a result of her outstanding work directing the program, the Foundation provided a scholarship for Nelson to complete her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at Wayne State University. She also earned a Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Business Education and a Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling also from Wayne State.
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