Senior center board weighs options on new director
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
The board of trustees of the Highland County Rosalie Morgan/N. James Bodenhamer Senior Center say they will work to make sure they have "the right fit" before hiring a replacement for outgoing center director Suzanne Hopkins.
Hopkins announced her retirement this week, effective July 1. Board president Debbie Rhude said that the board's personnel committee will be meeting Tuesday to discuss its options, but they are not hurrying into any decisions.
"We're really sad that Suzanne has decided to (retire) but we want to congratulate her that she has the opportunity to stay with her husband and we wish her the best," Rhude told The Highland County Press Friday. "We haven't had a meeting with the personnel committee but we have one scheduled for Tuesday. At that point in time we will discuss what we want to do to try and rebuilding. We have some opportunities that we are looking at and we will regroup and go from there."
Rhude said that they don't expect any major changes in the time between Hopkins leaving and a new director taking the office, saying that the seniors who spend their time at the center are self-reliant and know what jobs need to be done, from reception to the kitchen.
"We've got a really good group of seniors," Rhude said. "We've got some people in the background who have always been there and I think we will just kind of rely on our membership to pitch in. At the center, everyone has their little habits of what they do every day, and we'll just rely on them to step up for right now until we decide what we are going to do."
With the center able to operate on its own for now, Rhude said the board can take its time in hiring a new director so that they get the right person for the center.
"There's a lot of good people there, and it's pretty self-sufficient," Rhude said. "The board is really pleased with the center and what they have been able to do. We will just kind of let them do their own thing, and all we need to do is oversee everything. At this point we will step back and look at our options. We don't want to put somebody in (as director) just to have somebody. We want to make sure we get the right fit in a director."
The board of trustees of the Highland County Rosalie Morgan/N. James Bodenhamer Senior Center say they will work to make sure they have "the right fit" before hiring a replacement for outgoing center director Suzanne Hopkins.
Hopkins announced her retirement this week, effective July 1. Board president Debbie Rhude said that the board's personnel committee will be meeting Tuesday to discuss its options, but they are not hurrying into any decisions.
"We're really sad that Suzanne has decided to (retire), but we want to congratulate her that she has the opportunity to stay with her husband, and we wish her the best," Rhude told The Highland County Press Friday. "We haven't had a meeting with the personnel committee, but we have one scheduled for Tuesday. At that point in time, we will discuss what we want to do to try and rebuild. We have some opportunities that we are looking at, and we will regroup and go from there."
Rhude said that they don't expect any major changes in the time between Hopkins leaving and a new director taking the office, saying that the seniors who spend their time at the center are self-reliant and know what jobs need to be done, from reception to the kitchen.
"We've got a really good group of seniors," Rhude said. "We've got some people in the background who have always been there, and I think we will just kind of rely on our membership to pitch in. At the center, everyone has their little habits of what they do every day, and we'll just rely on them to step up for right now until we decide what we are going to do."
With the center able to operate on its own for now, Rhude said the board can take its time in hiring a new director so that they get the right person for the center.
"There's a lot of good people there, and it's pretty self-sufficient," Rhude said. "The board is really pleased with the center and what they have been able to do. We will just kind of let them do their own thing, and all we need to do is oversee everything. At this point, we will step back and look at our options. We don't want to put somebody in (as director) just to have somebody. We want to make sure we get the right fit in a director."
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