AARP Florida State President Named to Top Volunteer Role in America's Seven Largest States

ST. PETERSBURG

, Fla. – AARP has named a retired Boca Raton aviation leader and volunteer activist to a role representing the interests of tens of thousands of AARP volunteers in America’s seven largest states.

Kenneth “Ken” Thomas, 62, will serve as Regional Volunteer Director for the AARP Mega-States region. He will be the top-ranking volunteer leader in this region. The region includes AARP volunteers and staff in seven states: California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. These states comprise more than a third of AARP’s 60,000-plus volunteers nationwide.

“I am excited to have this opportunity to represent AARP volunteers in America’s most influential states,” Thomas said. “Every day, in hundreds of ways, AARP volunteers are working in communities large and small across the nation to improve the lives of others. I am both humbled and inspired to be able to reflect the good work that they’re doing in this new role.”

“We are delighted to welcome a leader of Ken’s caliber, vision and integrity to this important role,” said Regional Vice President Rawle Andrews Jr. “Ken has excelled as a leader in service to the nation, the state and his community. Now he will put his leadership skills to work helping share the ‘voice of the volunteer’ in important conversations within and outside AARP for the benefit of all generations as we grow older. I look forward to working with and learning from him.”

“Ken has been a valued partner in our work to improve the lives of people age 50-plus in Florida,” said AARP Florida State Director Jeff Johnson. “AARP’s founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, once said that we should serve, not be served. Ken Thomas exemplifies that goal.”

Thomas served Americans for 36 years in the field of aviation. He retired from the Federal Aviation Administration as manager of the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.

Thomas has served as volunteer state president of AARP Florida since January 2015, and served on the AARP Florida Executive Council since 2013.

He serves as a community volunteer for the Guardian ad Litem Program in Palm Beach County, and founded a non-profit organization that advocates for children, Speak Up For Kids of Palm Beach County, to provide financial support to the Guardian ad Litem program. He volunteers with Florida's Senior Medicare Patrol helping to educate seniors on how to avoid becoming victims of MEDICARE fraud, waste, and abuse, as well as how to protect themselves against identity theft. He volunteers with AARP as an advocate, speaker and Driver Safety trainer. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

Thomas is a native of Williamsburg, Virginia. He and his wife, Delilah, have been married for 30+ years and will gladly share photos on request of his five children, nine grandsons, one granddaughter and two great-grandchildren.

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About AARP

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million that helps people turn their goals and dreams into 'Real Possibilities' by changing the way America defines aging. With staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and promote the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare security, financial security and personal fulfillment. AARP also advocates for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name.  As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world’s largest circulation magazine, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @aarp and our CEO @JoAnn_Jenkins on Twitter.