Council on Aging (COA) is overseen by a Board of Trustees. The board establishes rules for COA’s operation and directs the organization’s affairs in keeping with Council on Aging’s mission to enhance lives by assisting people to remain independent through a range of quality services.
Board members live and work in COA’s five-county service area and bring a wealth of professional and personal experience to COA and its leadership team.
Leonard G. Wagers, of Butler County, first joined COA’s Board of Trustees in February 2018 as a member of the board’s audit sub-committee. He became a regular member of the board in 2019. As chief financial officer at Woodhull LLC, Wagers brings extensive financial expertise to COA’s board where he serves on the board’s finance and executive committees, as well as the board’s treasurer.
What interested you in serving on Council on Aging’s Board of Trustees?
I viewed this as an opportunity to help older adults and to give back to my community.
Looking ahead to the next five years, what do you see as the biggest challenge(s) facing Council on Aging and older adults in our community?
The rising costs of goods and services – especially healthcare – will have an impact on Council on Aging as it works to provide programs and services in our community. These rising costs also impact the provider network that procures and delivers services, as well as the older adults who rely on them to remain independent in their homes and communities.
Additionally, loneliness and isolation will continue to have a significant impact on older adults in this post-Covid world.
What excites you most about COA’s future?
The older adult population will only continue to grow, and along with it the need for innovative services to support them. There’s an incredible opportunity here to have a significant positive impact.
Thinking about your time on COA’s board, what COA moment are you most proud of?
I was extremely proud to be a part of the team that helped COA purchase and move to its home on Malsbary Road in Blue Ash. In the short time COA has called it home, the building has played an important role in supporting our staff and the community we serve.
It has also been rewarding to witness the innovation that has taken place at Council on Aging over the past three years. COA has had to continuously adapt in order to provide vital services to our clients and community.
Which COA value speaks most to you and why?
Compassion speaks most loudly to me and that’s because older adults have given so much to our society throughout their lifetimes and many are now at a point where they can benefit from the services COA has to offer.
What’s the most important lesson you learned from an elder in your life?
From my father, I learned the important lesson of commitment to one’s family. My father faced many obstacles in his life, starting with losing his mother very early in his life. So, family was always a priority for him. He was a quiet man, but his commitment ran deep.
What’s the last book you read?
It took me a long time, but I finally finished The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.