Cynthia “Cindy” Lewin, a seasoned lawyer with experience in the nonprofit sectorand with large and diverse affiliate organizations, was appointed executive vice president and general counsel for AARP in June 2010.

Lewin joined AARP from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), one of the nation’s largest conservation and education organizations, where she served as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary.  During her tenure, Lewin was named to the Federation’s “Innovation Dream Team” to create new entrepreneurial ideas for the organization.  She also managed the information technology, human resources and office services teams.

Previously, Lewin served as executive vice president and general counsel at Volunteers of America, where she built the organization’s legal department to serve 250 subsidiary corporations.

Lewin also was a partner atthe Washington, D.C. based law firm of Lichtman, Trister, Singer and Ross, where she focused on tax-exempt organizations, and prior to that was an associate at Arnold & Porter.  She also worked as an economist at the Bureau of Economic Analysis, as chief legislative assistant to Rep. Tom Loeffler from Texas, and as a law clerk to a federal district court judge in Los Angeles, California.  She is past chair of the Nonprofit Organizations Committee of the Association of Corporate Counsel and of the Exempt Organizations Committee of the D.C. Bar Taxation Section, and serves on Independent Sector’s Principles for Good Governance Advisory Group.

Lewin earned her BA degree in English and economics from Wellesley College and her JD from Yale Law School.