AARP NH Welcomes Patrick F. McDermott as New Volunteer State President

AARP NH is honored to announce Patrick F. McDermott has accepted the role of Volunteer State President and will begin on January 1, 2023. In this high-level volunteer position, Patrick will use his extensive skills and experience to make a positive difference for Granite Staters age 50-plus.

Throughout his life as a New Hampshire native, Patrick has contributed his knowledge and talent in various areas, including community development, economic development, energy and real estate. He retired after a 37-year career with Eversource in 2013.

Patrick firmly believes AARP NH makes a strong impact for people 50-plus and has supported the organization as a loyal member for nearly 20 years.

Five years ago, when Patrick connected with AARP Regional Vice President Kelly Clark, he became aware of AARP NH’s growing volunteer opportunities. At their meeting, Patrick was intrigued by Kelly’s invite to join AARP NH’s Executive Council, a leadership group of volunteers responsible for guiding AARP’s strategic priorities within the state.

When this opportunity knocked, Patrick answered with enthusiasm, and above all, an advocacy mindset. “We are the voice of people 50-plus, and sometimes, we're one of the few, if not the only voice on certain issues, taking the side of this age group throughout the country,” he shared.

As he began his volunteer journey with the Executive Council, Patrick expressed a genuine interest in helping employers understand the importance of supporting their employees who have caregiving responsibilities. With his expertise and community connections, Patrick is passionate about vocalizing the importance of caregiving in the workplace, which promotes positive changes toward the well-being of Granite State employees. He also carries out this work by serving as the AARP representative on the New Hampshire Alliance for Healthy Aging Caregiver Committee. Caregiving is close to Patrick’s heart as he and his wife are full-time caregivers for their adult son with autism spectrum disorder.

Additionally, as an AARP NH Executive Council member, Patrick has established a strong foundation of strategic advocacy to strengthen AARP NH’s mission in developing livable communities for Granite Staters. To that end, he drew from his professional experience and contacts in the energy service industry and played an active role in helping to inform our advocacy work to ensure a fair utilities rate increase for residential customers in 2020.

Patrick’s goal is to widely serve his community and so he is actively involved in several other non-profit boards such as the New Hampshire PBS Consumer Advisory Board, where he provides input, from a community perspective, on statewide public television programming.

By taking on the responsibilities of Volunteer State President, Patrick knows he has found his calling. “This is a good use of my skills and gives me the opportunity to make an even bigger difference for people 50-plus,” said Patrick. “I am humbled because this is a big deal.”

With a 2-year term ahead of him, Patrick looks forward to strengthening AARP’s volunteer recruitment program, which took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“I’m committed to doing my best in this role,” shared Patrick. “I’m looking forward to working with AARP NH State Director Christina FitzPatrick and approaching it my way, her way, and our way, and we will go from there.”

Congratulations and welcome, Patrick!