Brad Anderson started out in engineering before bolting for political science and a career that has included working for a nonprofit started by preeminent cancer doctor Richard Deming and now for AARP. 

A gifted fundraiser and politician, he applied to work with Deming, and helped build a statewide network of activities in addition to the big-headline trips the organization Above + Beyond Cancer takes for mountain climbing and other adventures. He arranged yoga, education meetings and fitness classes. He listened to his mentor, “the late great Johnny Danos,” who was on the organization’s board. 

Then he saw the AARP job listed (when longtime Des Moines-area businessman Kent Sovern decided to retire). He jumped at the chance to help Iowans on a broader scale.

Anderson had used his fundraising abilities and love of organizing new activities to help  Deming’s organization enrich the lives of cancer patients. He expects to use those talents at AARP, which is primarily aimed at the 50 and older crowd but sells associate memberships to others.

Some outside political circles might not be familiar with Anderson. This is the guy who walked into an East Village skateboard shop and offered to help organize a full-on fundraising campaign for the on-again off-again riverfront skateboard project that now is very much on. He was a spokesman for Gov. Chet Culver, a campaign worker for John Edwards and Barack Obama, and a one-time candidate for secretary of state.

When did you start the new job?
I started June 4 with a week of meetings in Rapid City, S.D. We are in a nine-state region. I met with all the state directors. 

Did anybody at the meeting say you are too young for this job?
No one. [Laughs.] It’s interesting. Over lunch one day we were talking about our kids, and we realized how many of us have kids, literally, ages 10 and 13. There were four of us. A lot of us are in the same stage of our life. 

Many of us know you as a political operative and policy guy in the area, but you started off aiming for another field, right? 
I started in engineering at North Carolina State University. I remember well when I decided to switch. I was taking a civil engineering course in solid waste management. It didn’t interest me. I called my mom to tell her I didn’t want to do engineering anymore, and she said, “But you can’t get a job in politics.” I said I was going to give it a shot. It’s been a great ride ever since. 

Turned out you could get a job in politics, right? Many of us remember your time as an aide to Gov. Chet Culver, and your work on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. 
After school I went to D.C. and worked for Sen. Tom Harkin. I’ve been lucky to work on both sides of the aisle on things like Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy [an account for outdoor recreation and conservation projects awaiting funding from a proposed sales tax]. I had the chance to get out of the partisan bubble. I started a polling and research company with my counterparts on the Republican side in 2015. Iowa just doesn’t have the partisan nonsense that Washington does. We can actually get work done. 

What appealed to you about the AARP job?
Well, it was actually my work at Above + Beyond Cancer [he directed the nonprofit] that led to my interest. With Above + Beyond Cancer, many of the clients are over 50. I noticed how different aging has become. You see people in their mid-60s who had never done a 5K in their 50s and now are doing Ironman races in their 60s. You realize there never is a reason to slow down. It was such an inspiring group to be around. When I saw AARP’s opening and the “Disrupt Aging” message at AARP, it really appealed to me. The idea to be able to offer people in a new phase of their life new opportunities statewide was something I found very appealing. 

What are some of your goals?
I want to work with partners to provide new opportunities to people as they move into their 50s, 60s and 70s. Maybe yoga. Maybe they’d be interested in biking. Maybe it’s partnerships with community colleges to start a new career. I look at my dad, who is 73 and starting a new business. People don’t see 60 as a time to slow down. It’s up to us at AARP to provide those opportunities to allow people to explore new things, in addition to all the great work we do in the community. We have a wonderful volunteer base that does tax aid, driver safety, fraud watch, advocacy. I want to expand that so we have a broad statewide presence. 

Also, we have voter engagement goals. We want to make sure the 50-plus population shows up and votes, which they have historically done. But there is always a drop-off at midterm. And we want to make sure they understand the new laws. We will work with both sides of the aisle. 

How are you wired?
I have an interesting mix. My parents had both creative sides and very practical sides. I have a brother who got a lot of the creative genes, and he’s a great artist and I’m very proud of him. I got more of the practical genes. But we each got some of the other side, too. My job takes understanding the system, but if you really want to make a difference, it is going to take some creativity. I’ve been given latitude. I have been struck by AARP’s willingness to let states do their own thing. I will embrace that to make AARP bigger and better in Iowa. 

I am the kind of person who likes a good work plan. I like to check in on progress. I like concrete goals with metrics attached to them, and I like to make sure we achieve the goals. The creative side makes me want to think about unconventional goals that bring a lot of value. Building partnerships with yoga studios is an example. How do we improve lives and make a difference?

What is it like to change lives?
We have over 370,000 AARP members in Iowa. The ability to communicate with them and to provide exciting opportunities and volunteer experiences with a group that big is incredibly exciting. 

What do you in your spare time?
I’m a jogger. I’m a shuffler. It’s hard to call what I do running. I like to go jogging every morning. I love fishing. Will, my 10-year-old, has somehow become better at fishing than I am. A couple of weeks ago at Lake Ahquabi, I was catching nothing and he was catching 1- and 2-pound bass. We went to Green Valley Lake, and the same thing happened.