Maui woman to lead AARP

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

KAHAKULOA, Maui — Marie Smith was a rising star in the Social Security Administration when she decided to take a step back and accept a job running a small branch office on Maui 25 years ago.

Marie Smith went from Maui retiree to AARP leader. Timothy Hurley • The Honolulu Advertiser

Charmed by the people and pace of life here, Smith stayed until her retirement 11 years later, and today she still calls the Valley Isle her home.

While Smith never made it to the top echelons of the Social Security agency, her decision to live on Maui didn't stop her from reaching the pinnacle of another nationwide organization of huge importance to America's aging population.

Smith recently was named president-elect of the 35-million-member AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for people 50 and older. She formally takes over as president-elect April 28 and will ascend to the group's highest position in two years.

How did Smith go from Maui retiree to the leader of a national juggernaut like the AARP, a major Washington lobby with offices in every state?

It didn't happen overnight. After her retirement, she began volunteering for the AARP as a specialist in the field of Social Security with additional experience in Medicare, Medicaid, adult day-care programs and nursing homes.

AARP President-elect Marie Smith enjoys working at her Aina Anuhea Tropical Garden, a tourist attraction, on the way to Kahakuloa, Maui. Timothy Hurley • The Honolulu Advertiser

Later, she became involved on the national level, serving as chairwoman of the AARP National Legislative Council and as a spokeswoman for the organization's Women's Initiative Program.

In 2000, Smith was elected to the national board and during the last two years served on some key board committees as well as treasurer of the AARP Foundation board of directors.

"She's smart, creative and a real common-sense person. She's someone you can talk to,'' said Greg Marchildon, AARP's Hawai'i state director. "For Marie this is terrific. It's going to put her in some very important places, and it's fabulous for our state.''

Originally from Illinois, she briefly toyed with a career in science before finding her niche in government. It wasn't long before her Social Security Administration bosses recognized her potential and sent her to open offices up and down California and to work in other management positions across the country.

For Smith, it was a rewarding and exciting period in her life.

"I really was making a difference,'' she recalled. "There were times when I would see gray and meaningless lives turn into rays of sunshine. Sometimes it was — 'Wow, it's as good as being in the movies.' ''

But when the agency sent her and 16 others being groomed for top management positions for a year of study at Stanford University's graduate school, she started thinking about the direction of her career.

It led her to accept the Maui job. For her, the move represented one more opportunity to taste work in the field and an opportunity to do it in an exotic location.

"It took me a year to realize I was doing double time on everything,'' she recalled. "But I finally fit in. I got into the flow.''

She enjoyed the contact with people, offering hope and making a difference.

"I felt a marvelous sense of giving and sharing,'' she said. "After a couple of years, it hit me that I was staying.''

After her retirement in 1987, Smith didn't stop serving the community. She was president of the board of directors for the Maui Volunteer Center, board secretary for the Maui Adult Day Care Center, president of the African American Heritage Foundation of Maui and president of the local chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees.

Aina Anuhea Tropical Garden is owned and operated by Marie Smith, AARP president-elect, and her husband Richard, "Smitty" Smith. Timothy Hurley • The Honolulu Advertiser

She also spent four years as a member of the advisory board for the county Office on Aging and was appointed to the county Commission on the Status of Women.

During this period she found time to write a novel, which remains unpublished, do free-lance writing, sell real estate and travel overseas. She also married Richard "Smitty'' Smith and together they developed a little tourist attraction on the road to Kahakuloa — Aina Anuhea Tropical Garden — on property where they live.

When Smith isn't on the road attending AARP functions, she enjoys sinking her hands into the soil. "There's nothing like working the land,'' she said. "When I come out here, I don't see work. I see something incredibly beautiful.''

But in the coming years, there will be fewer opportunities to work in the garden as she travels to the Mainland to run AARP board meetings, give speeches and testify before Congress.

Smith said she's an avid believer in AARP's national agenda, which includes pushing for Medicare coverage of prescription drugs. She also wants to push for strengthening Medicare and Social Security, and hopes to take a closer look at long-term care.