LYNN — Greater Lynn Senior Services has named a new CEO, ending a period without a permanent leader since Paul Crowley’s resignation amid controversy last year.
Kathryn C. Burns, of Salem, will start March 16 at the Lynn-based agency that serves people ages 60 and older, and disabled people in Lynn, Lynnfield, Nahant, Saugus and Swampscott. She will oversee GLSS’ variety of services, including home care, meals, transportation, advocacy and long-term health-based and independent living services.
“This feels like a very logical next step in my career path,” Burns said. “GLSS’ current focus on expanding its consumer base and territory, and working more closely with the medical community to deliver long-term services and supports, will bring many of my past experiences together in a new and exciting way.”
Burns has nearly 20 years of experience working in senior services. She is currently executive director of Mercy LIFE of Massachusetts, part of the state’s PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) program that provides living-at-home services for seniors. Prior to 2019, Burns was senior vice president and executive director at Harbor Health Services Inc. in Mattapan, another PACE organization.
She has also been director of geriatric services at Northeast Health Systems at Beverly Hospital and chief operating officer at Element Care, formerly known as Elder Service Plan of the North Shore, which was founded in 1995 “under the guidance” of GLSS and Lynn Community Health Center, according to John Baker, president of the GLSS Board of Directors.
“Kathy is an extremely qualified executive and is well known to us through her former role as chief operating officer of Element Care and ongoing association with the broader elder care network,” Baker said.
According to Baker, Burns’ experience has her well equipped to further the GLSS mission of helping people who often face “significant” health and social challenges. Burns was hired not only because of her experience, Baker said, but also for her “familiarity with the local community and nonprofit network in Lynn and surrounding communities.”
There has been a state of uncertainty regarding GLSS’ CEO since last September, when then-CEO Crowley was placed on a 90-day paid administrative leave following a poor performance review ordered by the Board of Directors. That review, a 200-page document that was completed in six months by an attorney and human resources consultant, has not been released by GLSS, but The Item learned it was critical of Crowley’s administration of the agency’s $67 million budget from a source, who wished to remain anonymous because they were unauthorized to speak for GLSS.
Chief Financial Officer Ken Haltkin and Planning and Development Director Valerie Parker Callahan were named as interim co-CEOs, and Crowley eventually resigned Oct. 31, 2019. Crowley earned $346,742 in his last full year with GLSS, according to GuideStar, a company that provides tax information on U.S. nonprofits.
Crowley’s resignation came three months after protests outside the GLSS Lynn headquarters from seniors supporting Stacey Minchello, a former Lynn Council on Aging director who resigned after she filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination alleging Crowley harassed one of the seniors.
Callahan, one of the two acting CEOs, said Burns has a solutions-oriented approach that will help GLSS find funding sources and develop new programs.
“These qualities will serve GLSS well and provide strong and effective leadership as we move forward in the coming decade,” she said. “I think I can speak for the entire senior leadership team when I say that we are all very happy with the Board’s decision.”
Burns holds a Master’s degree in healthcare administration from Simmons College in Boston and a Bachelor’s degree in business administration in finance and management from Saint Mary’s College at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Since 2018, Burns has served on the Board of Directors of the Caleb Foundation, a nonprofit that develops affordable housing throughout New England.
The nonprofit GLSS employs more than 500 staff. As one of 26 state-designated Aging Services Access Points, the agency provides protective services, such as investigating elder abuse, in addition to its home care and health services.
