NAACP Head Resigns After 19 Months

Bruce S. Gordon, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, responds to a question during an interview, in this June 28, 2006 file photo in New York. Gordon is quitting the civil rights organization, leaving after just 19 months at the helm, he told The Associated Press Sunday, March 4, 2007. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, file) (Seth Wenig - AP)

Critics said he wouldn't be a good fit for the nearly 98-year-old organization.

However, he smoothed strained relations between the NAACP and the White House, meeting with President Bush three times in less than a year. He used his corporate ties to lend quick assistance to black New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina. And he hired a number of key national employees whose reputations inspired staff members.

Gordon improved the NAACP's presence on the Internet and strengthened its ties to corporate America, Bond said Sunday.

Asked if Gordon leaves any other legacy, Bond said, "No."

Ronald Walters, a University of Maryland political science professor who has followed the NAACP closely for years, was surprised that Gordon is leaving, but said he had suspected that Gordon's business background might make it tough to switch to civil rights work.

"I thought very early on that there might be a cultural conflict," Walters said. "Somebody who came out of a corporate culture and was used to a set of agenda items and management style in one field might not have been able to make the adjustment totally to another field."

Gordon's departure throws the NAACP into disarray. Founded in 1909 by an interracial group who battled segregation and lynching, the group helped win some of the nation's biggest civil rights victories.

But the nation's racial progress has led some to question whether the NAACP remains relevant in today's political climate. The group has about 300,000 dues-paying members, Bond said, plus 100,000 non-paying members. It has run a deficit in recent years.

Now, board members must find a new leader even as they prepare for centennial celebrations in 2009 that include a $100 million fundraising goal, Bond said.

Sunday, Gordon sounded weary as he boarded a flight home to New York City.

"I don't view this as I'm right and they're wrong. I view this as I see things one way and they see things a different way," he said. "That misalignment between the CEO and the board is unhealthy."

Asked about his plans after leaving the NAACP, Gordon said: "I'm going to catch my breath."

"What I've clearly learned in my tenure here is that all is not well in black America, that's for sure," he said. "I believe I have a lot to offer. I've got to find a way to be engaged that optimizes what it is I bring to the table. My intention is not to disengage, but to find a different way."

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