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AARP Appoints Strong New Leaders
AARP North Carolina Adds to its Leadership Team
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AARP members across North Carolina have strong volunteer representation when it comes to the work AARP is doing across the state. The recent addition of three new people to the state’s Executive Council will help strengthen AARP advocacy, education and local events.
AARP appoints active volunteers, issue experts and community leaders to the Executive Council to help steer its’ work and resources in the state. AARP State Director Mike Olender explains, “AARP North Carolina’s volunteer leadership team is key to AARP being an effective voice for older adults in the state. They provide valuable insight, strategy, and hands-on assistance that help AARP members get the most out of AARP and life as they age.
The newly appointed Council members bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to fighting fraud, community service and civic engagement,” he said. “Not only is this critical to help stop fraud that targets older people, but in this important election year, their guidance will help people understand how and where they can vote, and where the candidates stand on important issues like the future Social Security and Medicare,” he added.
The new council members strengthen an already strong leadership team and help represent the needs of members in the coastal and mountain regions as well as the Triangle.
The newly appointed members are:
Dr. E. Renée Sanders-Lawson
Dr. Sanders-Lawson of Leland, NC, is a retired professor in the Department of Leadership at the University of Memphis with a distinguished career in higher education, K–12 administration, and community leadership. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Michigan State University, as well as Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, and certification as a school counselor from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
David Neil Kirkman
David Kirkman of Chatham County is a Fraud Watch Volunteer for AARP of North Carolina. Previously, he was a Special Deputy Attorney General with the North Carolina Department of Justice. He served as an enforcement attorney in the Department’s Consumer Protection Division from 1987 until 2017, and he created and managed its Elder Fraud Unit. In 1998, he was named co-chair of the newly formed NC Senior Consumer Fraud Task Force, and he remains a member 26 years later.
Sara Knapp
Sara Knapp has been an active leader in Livable Communities initiatives, helping make our cities, towns and rural areas great for all ages. Devoted to falls prevention, Sara also serves on the Western North Carolina Falls Prevention Coalition Executive Committee and is a certified instructor in the "A Matter of Balance" program through the Land of Sky Area Agency on Aging. She is also an IRS-certified tax counselor with Brevard AARP Tax-Aide.
Sara moved to North Carolina in 2017 following a 35-year career in telecommunications, where she held positions as systems engineer, group manager, project leader, and consultant.
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