Rodney Harrell is a thought leader and change agent in the areas of aging, livable communities, housing, community revitalization, economic development and strategic planning. His experience as a local, national and international issue expert, author, speaker, blogger, consultant, instructor, board member and mentor brings new perspectives to issues that we face and solutions to address them.  

He is AARP’s enterprise lead on housing issues, leading the creation of strategy, industry partnerships and solutions in that space.  As VP, he also leads AARP Public Policy Institute’s team of issue experts on long-term services, family caregiving and livable communities. He is also lead creator of the award-winning AARP Livability Index™ platform, the world's first nationwide, neighborhood-based livability index, and a leader of other key innovations. 

Before AARP, Dr. Harrell was a Research and Evaluation Consultant and instructor at the University of Maryland.  He was a Maryland Governor’s Policy Fellow, leading programs in the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development / Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. He is currently Chair of the Champions Council of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, immediate past chair of the Board of Visitors for the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and a Trustee of the National Building Museum. He holds a doctorate in urban planning and design from the University of Maryland, dual master’s in public affairs and urban planning from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a bachelor’s in political science from the honors program at Howard University.