Edna Kane Williams retires this summer after a decades-long career at AARP. Leaving isn't easy when you've helped build something that matters. “I truly feel that not everybody works at a job where you feel like you're making a difference every day,” she says.

Her story begins in working-class North Philadelphia. She grew up with her parents and three brothers and didn't travel much until she left for Yale University at sixteen. She graduated in three years, later earned a master's from George Washington University while working full-time, and first joined AARP in the 1980s.
“I'm what they call a boomerang kid,” she laughs. "I've come and gone from AARP three different times."

The third time was the charm. She returned in 2006 and has been there for twenty years, rising from a junior program specialist to Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer.

Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, AARP's founder, believed in inclusion before it was a corporate buzzword. Her famous quote, "What we do for one, we do for all,” remains the organization's north star.

"I've been proud that I have led an organization that has not at all shrunk from that goal," Williams tells LATINO Magazine. “That even through the tumult of the last couple of years, we haven't lost our intentionality, our commitment to working with all audiences.”

At the heart of that internal culture are Employee Resource Groups, commonly referred to as ERGs. AARP has eleven of them, covering everything from Hispanic outreach to LGBTQ+ issues to disability initiatives. One of the newest is Duty First, the veteran and military-affiliated group.

“Typically, ERGs in large companies have under ten percent participation," Williams explains. "We have thirty percent. Research shows that employee engagement, employee morale really can sink or swim an organization. Our leadership recognizes that it's important to stay engaged with our employees to make sure they feel they have a voice and a way to show up at work that is self-molded."

Williams believes ERGs are an important component at AARP: “I think that's a testament to both the caliber of our employees and the leadership of this organization. It's not a small thing. It's an important thing that we need to focus on, fund, and show up for." She points out that many mid-level and junior staff now lead these groups. "I see it as a training ground for future leaders."

Last year, ERGs hosted seventy-four events at AARP. This year, they're on track for nearly ninety. The Duty First ERG emerged from the ground up. “It came from the needs and wants of employees,” she says. “I was glad to see that we have now an ERG committed to making sure the role of veterans in our society is never forgotten.”

For Williams, this hits close to home. One of her brothers was a twenty-year Air Force veteran. Her father served in the Korean War. “I think it's easy to forget the sacrifices that veterans made,” she says. "Many people go through their lives not knowing a veteran. The ERG and Veterans Day are a way to make sure those sacrifices are never forgotten.”

When asked about her legacy, Williams doesn't point to her title. “It's been my privilege, and I don't use that word lightly, to work here. I'm grateful every day that I get the opportunity.”

One member of Duty First is Rick DelaHaya. But before he joined AARP, he didn't really know what it did. “I knew they advocated, I knew they had insurance,” he says. "That's the first thing anybody ever asked me: 'Hey, you're all about insurance, aren't you?' But no, we're a lot more than that.”

DelaHaya is the State Director of Communications at AARP Florida. He grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin and in 1983 talked to his father, a twenty-six-year Navy veteran who spent his career at sea---six months out, six months in. "He told me, 'If you're going to go into the military, don't be like me. Go in the Air Force so you have some family stability.'"

Rick took the advice. He served 21 years, got his degree from Florida State University, spent 13 years as an air weapons controller, then cross-trained into public affairs. After the military, he had a variety of jobs, including working in a casino, a chimpanzee sanctuary, also higher education and the energy sector. Eventually, a LinkedIn message from AARP Florida brought him to Tallahassee.

“I love working for AARP,” he says. His job is “elevating issues that matter most to older adults, veterans, caregivers, and families." But when the conversation turns to AARP's Veterans and Military Spouse Job Center, Rick's tone shifts. As with Edna Kane Williams, it’s personal.

“When you think about it, AARP really stands for those who have served," he says. “That commitment is reflected in the Veterans and Family Initiative, a national effort to help veterans and military families navigate life transitions.”

The challenge, he explains, is translation. How do you explain to a civilian employer what an air weapons controller actually does? "Take me, for example. If I told you that, you'd say, 'What?' Then you translate: 'Think of an FAA controller looking at radar scopes, keeping planes separated.' Then the light goes on.”
Military spouses face an even harder road. "You show that gap in employment. 'Where were you for the last six months?' 'Well, I was overseas.' Helping military spouses find something---résumé guidance, career planning, is critical."

Rick and his wife are both veterans. They're part of what he calls the “seven percent club”—that fraction of Americans who have ever worn the uniform. “For nearly three years here, I've been proud to continue my service at AARP," he says. "Service doesn't end when that uniform comes off. The military shapes how we show up every single day. How we lead, how we communicate, how we handle stress.”

As for the Duty First ERG, Rick sees it as essential precisely because so few Americans understand military life. “It creates a space for employees who have served, or who are connected to the military, to stay connected to each other, and to help colleagues who want to better understand that experience. Because a lot of people just don't get what that lifestyle is about."

Another veteran at AARP is Israel Hernandez. Originally from Oceanside, California, he wanted to be hands-on, out in the world, and went the military route. He talked to all the military branches, but recalls, “I chose the Marine Corps because of the legacy, the history, and how they view servant leadership and empower younger people to do great things.”

Hernandez served five years as an intelligence specialist, deployed in 2014 for Operation Inherent Resolve, then discharged through a scholarship program that sent him to San Diego State University. He earned a bachelor's in health communication and a master's in psychology, then was a social worker for five years.

But as an undergrad, he interned at AARP. The mission stuck. “I never thought I'd find my way back,” he says. "But when a position opened, I applied, and here I am.”

Now, as Associate State Director for Advocacy and Community Engagement in San Diego, Hernandez’s job is making aging easier for older adults, and making sure their needs show up in local policy. He tells a story about a situation in Lemon Grove, a San Diego suburb. Seniors in a housing development were given 30 days' notice to move out for renovations. Then they were told their rent would double.

"Some of these folks were going to be homeless,” he remembers. “They said, ‘This feels illegal.’”

Hernández helped build a coalition, showed up at a city council meeting, and fought on behalf of the older adults. At age 33, when he tells younger people what he does, he gets jokes. “Oh, I'm not there yet,” is his response.

But he pulls them in: “Aging is something we're all doing. The work AARP does absolutely affects you. Some of it affects you right now.”

When the conversation turns to the Veterans and Military Spouse Job Center, his voice takes on careful precision. “The transition itself is always challenging,” he says. “When I got out, even with preparation, you never feel fully confident. Where am I going to live? What job am I going to hold?” The core challenge is translation: "How do you translate your service to civilian opportunity? That exists even long after veterans separate.”

The job center gives them free tools: résumé help, career planning, skill development. “Underneath all that, it gives them confidence. Veterans have these skills already. Communication. Servant leadership. Consistency. They're not afraid of hard work. They just need help connecting the dots,” he says.
As a Latino veteran, Hernández sees himself at an intersection of two strong communities; what he calls a force multiplier. “The Latino community has a deep legacy of family, resilience, and advocacy," Hernández mentions. “With being a veteran, we understand the mission. We prioritize mission accomplished. And we have integrity, discipline, teamwork ingrained in us,” adding, “At a particularly polarized time, our veteran and Latino volunteers have a real fire to coalesce people around issues affecting us all. There's a lot of power in that.”

Three people. Three different roles at AARP. But the similarity is unmistakable: Service never ends. Whether it's a veteran helping another veteran find a job, a Latino advocate assisting others in the community, or a chief diversity officer looking back on a distinguished career—the work is the same. It's service. And it never really ends.