By Megan Sayles
AFRO Business Writer
msayles@afro.com
AARP, the country’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization serving Americans 50 and older, announced Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan as its new CEO on Nov. 12. The New York native most recently served as the president and CEO for CareQuest Oral Health Institute. There, she focused on promoting the inclusion of oral health in broader health care and public health discussions, including making the delivery of oral health care more equitable and accessible.
Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan is the new CEO of AARP, the nation’s largest organization with a mission to ensure people 50 and older can choose how they live as they age.
Credit: Photo courtesy of AARP
Minter-Jordan, who was previously an attending physician and medicine instructor has spent nearly two decades in the health care industry, but her parents say her interest sparked at seven years old. A self-professed servant leader, she was drawn to AARP because of the organization’s mission: to enhance the quality of life for all as we age.
“I have been blown away by the level of commitment and dedication to the mission. People believe in the work that AARP does,” said Minter-Jordan. “I love the advocacy that we do here—the fact that we focus on Social Security and Medicare and what it means to be a family caregiver. We’re really representing the needs of the 39 million members in a way that is authentic, that is very deep and that is experienced by everyone who works here.”
The AFRO recently connected with Minter-Jordan to discuss her priorities in her new post. The responses below have been edited for length and clarity.
What are your top agenda items as the new CEO of AARP?
It’s really a reflection of what we hear from our members. We have members across the country who are hyper-focused, as they should be, on Social Security and Medicare and ensuring the sustainability and viability of those programs into the future. They are also focused on human caregiving.
Listening to the voice of our membership and understanding how deeply these issues are felt by the people who are working in our country every day is a focus of mine. We heard it loud and clear from our membership, particularly around the time of the election, and we’re committed to working with our congressional leaders and state and local leaders to ensure that we have a continued focus on those programs
How important are programs, like Social Security and Medicare, to underserved communities?
We all know that there are a lot of inequities in these programs for our underserved communities, whether that’s rural communities, veterans or our 50+ plus community where AARP is singularly focused. We want to make sure that we’re lifting up opportunities and policy that help to support our efforts around Social Security, Medicare and family caregiving.
This is something that is incredibly important to me but also important to everyone here within AARP. I’m really proud of our commitment to making sure that we are using a lens of equity within the work that we do.
What AARP programming would you like to highlight to the public?
I would just lift up our advocacy efforts. Our advocacy team is so well in tuned to the voices and the needs of our membership. They are constantly working on ensuring that we understand from every angle. We’re continually lifting up Social Security, Medicare and family caregiving.
Family caregiving has emerged as a newer focus for the organization. If you aren’t a caregiver now, you will certainly be in need of caregiving services. We want to make sure that we’re looking at policies that help to support the role of the caregiver. Many caregivers across our country are spending over $7,000 out of pocket every year, and we have 48 million Americans who are in that role. Our advocacy is something that is going to become even more important as we engage with the new administration coming in.
