NAACP president resigns after 19 months

NEW YORK — He's out.

NAACP President Bruce S. Gordon is quitting the civil rights organization, leaving after just 19 months at the helm, he told The Associated Press Sunday. Gordon cited growing strain with board members over the group's management style and future operations.

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)

"I believe that any organization that's going to be effective will only be effective if the board and the CEO are aligned and I don't think we are aligned," Gordon said. "This compromises the ability of the board to be as effective as it can be."

He spoke by phone from Los Angeles, where he had just attended the taping of the NAACP Image Awards.

Dennis C. Hayes, general counsel of the Baltimore-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is expected to serve as interim president, Gordon said.

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