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Darrell J. Drummond starts his morning at the Council on
Aging of St. Lucie, Inc.’s Port St. Lucie office, and as the
day wears on he travels to the agency’s Fort Pierce office
on Orange Avenue. Drummond, the organization’s
president and CEO, and his team of 100 employees and 200 volunteers
serve more than 25,000 elderly people each year in St. Lucie
County. He first started volunteering for the non-profit organization
when he was invited to serve on its board in 1993.
Two years later, Drummond was hired as the council’s community
resource director. He worked his way up to CEO in
1999. “I find working for the Council on Aging very rewarding,”
says Drummond. “The Baby Boomer generation is making a big
impact on the community. Age 60 is no longer thought of as being
old. It’s almost considered middle age. As a result, more people
in this age bracket are living longer and requiring more services.”
The council’s mission is to promote independence and provide
quality of life for seniors.
Born and raised in Bartow, Drummond graduated from the
University of Florida with a bachelor of science degree in marketing
in 1979. The new graduate was hired by his uncle’s Fort Pierce
firm, Ken Drummond Construction, to help the business grow, but
a major recession in the early 1980s led the young Drummond on
a different path. In 1982, he was hired by the city of Fort Pierce as
an assistant to the community development coordinator. During
his tenure, he became the city’s first African-American city planner.
Later, a major upheaval in the department landed Drummond
the position of acting director of planning and zoning, leading the
city’s planning and building departments.
Drummond left his position with Fort Pierce and started his
own real estate company in 1985. He later was a licensed real
estate appraiser working for Calloway and Price with Harry
Gray. In 1987, he became the first African-American to be elected
president of the St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce.
After the death of Fort Pierce City Commissioner Julius Lee
in 1988, Drummond was appointed to his seat. Three months
later, after winning a special election, he became the youngest
city commissioner in the city’s history. He served for eight years,
until 1996.
After the death of Clarence Middleton in 2002, the City Commission
appointed Drummond to the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority
Board. He has been reappointed for two terms, and this
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September, he will have served for 10 years.
During his career, Drummond has volunteered or served on
the boards of directors for 13 organizations and has been on the
advisory boards of 12 groups.
“I continue to have a love for Fort Pierce,” says Drummond. “I
still monitor the city’s budget. I’m concerned about access and
whether the city pays enough attention to those who are less fortunate.
It is my belief that we are no stronger than our weakest link.”
Darrell J. Drummond
Occupation: President/CEO,
Council on Aging of St. Lucie, Inc.
Age: 53
Where I live: Fort Pierce, next
door to former City of Fort Pierce
Commissioner Duke Nelson
Family: Wife Nadine and two
sons, Chris and Kelvan
Something no one knows about me: “I am an organist at my
church, St. Paul AME. I also take great pleasure in playing my
piano in my spare time.”
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/www.abbiejeanrussellcarecenter.com
