I have decided it is time for me to retire from my position as President of CCC. I came to CCC’s predecessor, the SAIL (Strengthened Assistance for Independent Living) Project at the North Central Area Agency on Aging in 1976, a 26-year-old “kid” wanting to change the world. Thanks to decades of stellar board, corporator, staff and donor dedication, we have, in fact, done just that. Every single night over 9,000 clients and their families are resting a little easier because CCC is in their lives. We have worked decisively and collaboratively with public and private stakeholders in the development of the Connecticut Home Care Program, Money Follows the Person and Community First Choice. We have joined forces with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter, the Congregation of Notre Dame and countless elder care attorneys and probate judges to provide customized care management to their private clientele. We have spoken in hundreds of classrooms and lecture halls across the country sharing our unique brand of care management; one of the most respected and emulated models in the nation.  Now, it’s time to move toward the future.

Consider this your first introduction to my colleague Julia Evans Starr, as the President of Connecticut Community Care effective August 3, 2020. As Executive Director of the Connecticut Commission on Aging, Julia and her Commissioners educated our General Assembly on a myriad  of policy issues; one of the most recent of which was a nationally recognized “Livable Communities” initiative. More recently, Julia has been instrumental in the development of numerous State Plans, the work of the Coalition for Elder Justice and MyPlaceCT.org. She is strategic, creative, energetic and, above all, highly motivated to lead CCC into the future. 

Over the years I have been blessed with extraordinary teachers; primarily our clients and our staff. Clients share decades of lived experience, from the Depression to World War II, to the joy and suffering of their own lives. Their resilience never ceases to amaze me. They never stop reminding us to always allow them to direct the course of their own lives in any and every way possible. Our staff, on the other hand, share all the challenging lessons of teamwork, negotiation, prioritization and perspective; learnings that have served me well. 

Welcome Julia to CCC and accept my profound thanks for allowing me to share this once in a lifetime journey with you.