AARP La. appoints new volunteer state president

BATON ROUGE — AARP Louisiana State Director Denise Bottcher has announced the appointment of Bobby G. Savoie as state president — the highest state level volunteer position within the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, according to the Louisiana AARP news release. AARP Louisiana has nearly 500,000 members statewide.
“We are excited to have Savoie step into this key leadership position,” Bottcher said. “His extensive professional experience, his service as an AARP volunteer and his passion for our mission make him an ideal choice.”
Savoie, a Louisiana native, will lead AARP Louisiana’s volunteer Executive Council and work to achieve the mission and strategic priorities in communities across the state. He will also serve as the principal AARP volunteer spokesperson in Louisiana.
He succeeds Gonzales resident Brenda G. Hatfield who was tapped in 2016 to become AARP’s South Region Volunteer Director. Rafael Saddy has been serving as interim state president during this time. Savoie’s appointment is effective immediately.
“I am humbled to have been selected to serve as the next state president of AARP-LA. I am also excited at the prospect of being able to work with dedicated, dynamic, and fully committed volunteers and staff to be a champion for individuals 50 plus in Louisiana,” he said.
Retired from the State of Louisiana, Savoie worked in various capacities within the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. His most recent position, prior to retirement was that of public health executive director, in the division of environmental health in the Office of Public Health. He was responsible for directing, monitoring and evaluating the state-wide environmental health programs administered through engineering and sanitarian services. He managed an annual budget of $40 million and a state-wide program staff of approximately 400.
Savoie has also served on numerous boards and commissions, many of which he was appointed to as a representative of the Governor’s Office or the secretary of the LDHH. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a master’s from the University of Oklahoma.