ATLANTA, June 26 (UPI) -- The NAACP has named former Verizon Communications executive Bruce Gordon to the post of chief executive and president of the civil rights organization.
In a departure from the tradition of appointing political or religious figures to the position, about 60 members of the NAACP's board voted unanimously for Gordon Saturday at a private meeting in Atlanta. He retired in 2003 as president of Verizon's retail markets group.
Gordon is expected to negotiate a contract with the NAACP executive committee, and then face a formal vote at its convention next month in Milwaukee if a deal is reached, the New York Times said.
The NAACP has recently faced criticism for its lack of membership growth, financial difficulties, accusations of misconduct by its former president Kweisi Mfume, and an Internal Revenue Service inquiry into its tax-exempt status prompted by criticism of the Bush administration last year by Julian Bond, the NAACP chairman.
