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Council on Aging gets new director

By Dan Cooper

Staff Intern



EAST LONGMEADOW - At their March 27 meeting, the Board of Selectmen hired Carolyn Brennan as the new executive director for the Council on Aging, and she couldn't be happier about it, she told Reminder Publications.

"It feels like I'm coming home," Brennan said. "Once you're a part of a Council on Aging, it stays with you. It's in your blood."

Brennan is the former executive director of the Hampden Council on Aging, a position she held for 12 years. She is currently living in the private sector.

Brennan said she wouldn't set any goals for herself until she knows what the town's elders want. "Every community is unique," she said. "I need to find out what the seniors of East Longmeadow want before I do anything."

Brennan said her years at the Hampden Council on Aging led to a friendship with her late predecessor, Rosalind Clark. "Rosalind was amazing with what she did for the Council on Aging," Brennan said. "I really got to know her. She was a wonderful mentor. I attended her wake as a friend."

Brennan added that she does feel some pressure to succeed as executive director based on Clark's success. "She loved advocating for elders and was a very loved person," Brennan said. "It will be very tough shoes to fill.

"It will be tough to walk into my office my first day and not see her behind that desk," Brennan added. "I'll do my best, though."

Brennan explained even though she was aware of Clark's death, she heard about the position through a posting.

She said one thing she learned from her time as the Hampden executive director is that the Council on Aging is not just a "cookie-cutter agency."

"There is a lot of work that is involved to accommodate seniors," Brennan said. "The way certain buildings are structured is important, and some seniors have special needs that need to be addressed."

Brennan starts her new position as executive director of the Council on Aging on April 12. "I've gotten a lot of welcome back phone calls from people who know me in the area," she said.