Roslyn McCallister Brock (born May 30, 1965) is an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

leader, healthcare executive, and health activist. She was selected to succeed

Julian Bond Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the e ...

as chairman of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

on February 20, 2010, becoming the fourth woman and the youngest person to serve in the position.

Early life and education

Brock was born in 1965 in

Fort Pierce Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Atlantic Coast Florida. It is also known as the Sunrise City, sister to San Francisco, California, the Suns ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. She received her bachelor's degree from

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...

, graduating '' magna cum laude'' in 1987. She also earned three master's degrees: the first in healthcare administration from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

in 1989, the second in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1999, and the third in

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in 2009.

Career

Brock worked for ten years in healthcare management at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. She has served as the Vice-President of Advocacy and Government Relations for

Bon Secours Health System The Bon Secours Health System is the largest private hospital network in Ireland. It was formed in 1993 to co-ordinate the health care facilities in Ireland managed by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Bon Secours. Background The Congregation of th ...

in Marriottsville, Maryland.

NAACP involvement

Brock joined the NAACP in 1984 as a freshman at Virginia Union University, and she was named a Youth Board Member the following year. Her 1989 master's thesis, under the supervision of NAACP executive director Benjamin Hooks, was entitled "Developing a NAACP Health Outreach Program for Minorities". Beginning in 1991, she initiated health symposia at the annual NAACP National Conventions. She also served as Vice Chairman of the NAACP Health Committee. She was appointed Chair of the Convention Planning Committee in 1999. In February 2001, aged 35, she was unanimously elected Vice Chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors. She was the youngest person named to the position and the first woman to serve.

, who had served as NAACP Chairman from 1998, stayed on in the position through 2009 as the organization celebrated its 100th anniversary. Brock was chosen as Bond's successor on February 20, 2010, at the age of 44. She is the youngest person ever to serve as NAACP Chairman.

Memberships

Brock is a member of the Board of Trustees of The

, and past chair of the Board of Advisors of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University, as well as being a member of the Kellogg School of Management Global Advisory Board at

, and Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), the American Public Health Association and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Personal life

Brock was married to Randall Eugene Brock, who died in 1995. She currently resides in

Elkridge, Maryland Elkridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,593 at the 2010 census. Founded early in the 18th century, Elkridge is adjacent to two other counties, A ...

References

External links

NAACP biography

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brock, Roslyn M. 1965 births Living people People from Fort Pierce, Florida Virginia Union University alumni George Washington University alumni Kellogg School of Management alumni NAACP activists Activists for African-American civil rights American health activists George Washington University trustees Businesspeople from Maryland People from Elkridge, Maryland