BALTIMORE, June 15 (UPI) -- The NAACP is set to name a former senior executive at Verizon Communications Inc., as its next president, The Washington Post said Wednesday.
Sources in the organization told the newspaper Bruce Gordon, 59, is set to be selected as NAACP president and chief executive officer by the civil rights group's 64-member board of directors June 25 in Atlanta.
Former U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., stepped down from the post in December.
If Gordon is elected, it would be a departure from NAACP leadership choices in recent decades, making him the first non-minister or non-politician to take the right group's helm.
Gordon headed Verizon's retail markets division before retiring in 2003. He told the newspaper he would welcome the opportunity to lead the 500,000-member NAACP.
"I am very interested in the opportunity," he said. "I think it's an excellent fit in terms of my background, my skills and my experience. But until the board has spoken, I am simply a candidate."
