Tracy Alexander

I started my career 28 years ago after staying home with my two young sons for four years to give them a solid foundation. When I decided to go back to work part-time, I pursued my interest in writing and called a newspaper in San Bernardino, California. Despite not having a real resume or degree at the time, I had a desire to write and faith to believe I could get in there somehow. I started working for the Sun newspaper for about two years, where I had a parenting column and would go out in the community to interview parents. I also wrote editorials for the Sunday newspaper. I realized I loved stories that I could guide and navigate through that were related to my experiences, because I thought those were much more impactful and connecting to people. Eventually I went to school for journalism, and through AARP I met a woman who became my mentor, a professor of English at Empire State College in New York. She created a creative writing course for me using my own writing from a book I had written called Without a Mother's Touch. I went on to get a bachelor's degree in communications in 2015 while working at AARP. I started at AARP in October as an administrative person, then moved up to assistant project director and then project director. I've worked in Las Vegas, Sacramento for 5 years, and came back home to Houston in 2015. As project director for AARP Foundation, I administer the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) for the Department of Labor, assisting low-income seniors age 55 and older in re-entering the workforce. I cover all of Harris County and have partnerships with all types of organizations in the community. I market the program and place participants in nonprofit organizations or public agencies in work training assignments until we can transition them into full-time work. The people I serve are in the category of the most in need with a lot of barriers, so a lot of work goes into helping them be successful. AARP's founder, Ethel Percy Andrus, lived by the model 'to serve, not to be served,' and because I was so interested in her purpose and knowing that there's a purpose we all have, I have never taken my eyes off of that purpose. My purpose is to serve the community.