Cornell Brooks, 53, is an ordained minister and a former lawyer for the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department.
“I’ve never heard of this guy,” said one national civil rights activist, who was surprised by the pick but who asked not to be identified because he did not want to appear critical of the organization’s choice. “No one I know has ever heard of him or has worked with him. It’s a really bizarre choice.”
Likewise, many academicians who write about race and social issues say that they too are unfamiliar with Brooks and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, the Newark organization that he’s led.
Unlike his predecessors, Brooks does not come to the job with national name recognition, which experts say is critical to helping push the organization forward. In recent decades, the NAACP has struggled to stave off declining membership and has tried to promote awareness about the organization’s storied history, particularly among young people.
Benjamin Todd Jealous, the youngest president to lead the organization, was a popular attraction on college campuses and helped to rally student activists around the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Jealous resigned last year and has gone on to work for a venture capital investment firm.
During his tenure at the NAACP, Jealous also helped to bring the organization back from financial stagnation, expanding its donor base from $16,477 when he took office in 2007 to more than $132,000 five years later. He also doubled the organization’s revenue to $46 million in 2012.
It’s unclear if Brooks, 53, will have that same kind of reach. He could not be reached for comment.
