AARP President: Marie Smith
AARP President
Marie F. Smith of Maui, HI, was sworn in as the 21st president of AARP at AARP's National Leadership Conference in April, 2004. She brings to AARP a wealth of leadership experience in Social Security and a strong commitment to women's, multi-ethnic, and aging issues. During her presidency, she will focus on retirement security issues.
Prior to her position as president-elect for two years, Ms. Smith was elected to a six-year term on the AARP Board of Directors. She previously chaired AARP's National Legislative Council and was a spokesperson for AARP's Women's Initiative Program. She also was a volunteer specialist in the field of Social Security with additional experience in Medicare, Medicaid, and adult day care programs and nursing homes.
During her career, Ms. Smith held several senior managerial positions with the Social Security Administration (SSA) including director of manpower management and organization planning, office manager, and management analyst. Since her retirement from the SSA, she has been involved in real estate, a freelance writer, and volunteer with numerous civic organizations.
Ms. Smith held offices on the boards of directors for the Maui Volunteer Center, the Maui Adult Day Care Center, and the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers. She also was president of the African American Heritage Foundation of Maui and of the local chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, and currently is a member of Zonta International in Washington D.C. Ms. Smith previously spent four years as a member of the advisory board for the County Office on Aging and was appointed by the Governor of Hawaii as Commissioner on the Status of Women.
Among Ms. Smith's numerous citations and awards are the Woman of Excellence Award from the Commission on the Status of Women, the Circle of Women Award presented by the County Committee on the Status of Women, and the Commissioner's Citation from the Social Security Administration. She recently was cited by Ebony magazine as one of America's 100 most influential African American leaders. Ms. Smith also is listed in Who's Who in American Women, 2004.
