WASHINGTON, DC —Experience Corps, an award-winning program that engages people over 55 in meeting their communities’ greatest challenges, today appointed Lester F. Strong as its new Chief Executive Officer.  Strong brings more than 35 years of experience as a senior executive, chief development officer, and broadcast journalist to the job. 

Strong will be the first CEO of a newly independent organization, as Experience Corps becomes a 501(c)3 in early 2009.  For the past 10 years, Experience Corps has been a signature program of Civic Ventures, a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. The program’s work to date has focused on helping tens of thousands of struggling students in urban classrooms learn to read.

“Lester is an extraordinary leader for these difficult times, and we are thrilled to have him on board,” said Martin W. Rodgers, board chair of the new organization and senior executive for Accenture’s government and nonprofit practice. “Experience Corps is a proven intervention, poised for expansion, and Lester is the perfect person to lead it into the future.”

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have shown that third graders working with Experience Corps members scored significantly higher on a reading test than children in control schools, that the program reduces discipline problems, and that it enhances the well-being of older adults. Early in 2009, researchers at Washington University will publish a new, rigorous study demonstrating the impact of Experience Corps on both students and members.

Strong knows well the needs of urban students.  Most recently he served as the chief development officer of BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), which helps more than 12,000 children in Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New York and Springfield (Massachusetts) by providing both rigorous and culturally enriched after-school and summer programs.  During Strong’s tenure, BELL’s contributed revenues more than tripled from $4.5 million to nearly $15 million annually.

The job at Experience Corps builds on Strong’s recent experience as a nonprofit executive.  From 2000 to 2005, Strong served as the CEO of the New York-based SYDA Foundation, which manages more than 100 yoga and meditation centers in 46 countries on five continents. During that time, Strong led the foundation in a major redesign of its growth and teaching models, which resulted in a more effective and financially sustainable organization.

Strong’s communications experience comes from a 25-year career in the television industry where he worked on both sides of the camera as a senior executive and a journalist. Strong worked as a broadcaster in New York (ABC), Boston (WHDH-TV), Atlanta (WSB-TV) and Charlotte (WBTV).  He has received a host of national and local awards including five regional EMMY Awards, a White House commendation from Ronald Reagan and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Endicott College. 

Strong is a graduate of Davidson College and the Columbia Business School’s Institute for Nonprofit Management.  He is married to Patrice Courtney Strong, an alternative energy consultant. They have a blended family of five children and live in New York.

“Like so many other boomers, Lester has chosen work with social purpose in the second half of his life,” said John S. Gomperts, who has served as CEO of Experience Corps for nearly six years. “We are thrilled that he will bring his passion and talent to an encore career leading Experience Corps.”  Gomperts will remain in his post as president of Civic Ventures.

Experience Corps has projects in the following 23 locations: Annapolis, MD, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, MD, Beaumont, TX, Boston, MA, Cleveland, Evansville, IN, Grand Rapids, Greater New Haven, Marin County, Mesa, Minneapolis, New York City, Oakland, Philadelphia, Port Arthur, TX, Portland, OR, Revere, MA, San Francisco, St. Paul, Tempe, Tucson, AZ, Washington, DC.

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Experience Corps, an award-winning program, engages people over 55 in meeting their communities’ greatest challenges. Today, in 23 cities across the country, 2,000 Experience Corps members tutor and mentor elementary school students struggling to learn to read. Independent research shows that Experience Corps boosts student academic performance, helps schools and youth-serving organizations become more successful, and enhances the well-being of the older adults in the process.