Lorraine Miller, a long-time aide to top Washington Democrats and the nation's first African American Clerk of the House, was named today the interim president and c.e.o. of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP.) Ben Jealous, the current president, announced last month that he was stepping down after five years to spend more time with his family.
Miller, who divides her time between Washington and Fort Worth, first came to Washington to work for her local congressman, Rep. Jim Wright, D-Texas. Wright rose to become speaker and Miller worked in the House and then in the Clinton Administration before returning to work for Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who, as speaker in 2007, named Miller Clerk of the House.
“Lorraine Miller is a trailblazing leader who has served our country with distinction as the first African-American Clerk of the House of Representatives, and she will do an outstanding job leading the NAACP as its interim President and CEO," said House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Md. in a statement. "I have known Lorraine for years and have worked with her in her capacity both as Clerk of the House and as President of the Washington D.C. chapter of the NAACP. Lorraine’s experience serving as a congressional aide – including to Civil Rights hero John Lewis – as an officer of the House, and as a respected community leader will enhance the office of the NAACP President and CEO during her tenure. ”