James L. Brooks is Director of AARP’s Office of Community Engagement.  He leads a team that equips AARP’s state offices to engage locally.  Previously, Brooks was an Advisor for the Office of Volunteer Engagement and Associate State Director for AARP Virginia state office.  Before coming to AARP, Brooks served for eight years as founding Executive Director of Project Compassion, a non-profit organization in Chapel Hill, NC, and for five years as Clinical Manager for Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee, FL.  He holds an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and a Master of Divinity degree. 

Brooks is the author of The Unbroken Circle: A Toolkit for Congregations around Illness, End of Life and Grief and other publications.  Previously, he served as an advisor board members for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Caring Connections initiative, an Advisor Board member for StoryCorps’ Legacy initiative.  He lives in Fort Myers, FL.