In January 2016 I became the OLLI West Manager. Prior to that, I had been a manager at Veterans Affairs and retired in May 2013. I’d enjoyed that first period of retirement—in fact I became an OLLI member and really enjoyed the courses and the environment. When the opportunity was offered as the manager at West, I believed it would be a good fit for me and, in fact, it was.
I have gotten to know fascinating, intelligent, and thoughtful individuals over these past five+ years. I have learned so much—not only from working with the curriculum committee, facilitators and sitting in on classes—but also from listening to your life experiences and being a recipient of your kindness and grace. Although this year of online OLLI courses has had its challenges, it provided an opportunity to interact with members and facilitators from other sites, that I (and many, many others) would not otherwise have had. This was such a blessing.
As most of you are aware, I decided it is now time for me to re-retire. My last day on the OLLI staff will be May 28th. Thank you all for your support and friendship. OLLI at DU is incredible and OLLI West is very special. Although I will be retiring from the staff, I do not plan to retire my mind and it is my intention to return to being an OLLI member, taking classes and expanding my knowledge. As a wise person once said, “Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway.” I plan to see you on that learning road!!
You likely are also wondering what this means for OLLI West and who will be the Manager for the site. I am very pleased to announce that Dara Hughes will be the new manager. She became the Assistant Manager at West one month after I started in 2016 and has been an invaluable member of the OLLI team. Many of you have had the pleasure of working with her to set up courses, resolve problems and provide assistance and training. She’s enthusiastic about the opportunity and I am confident she will provide excellent leadership as OLLI West moves beyond the pandemic challenges and establishes yet another ‘new normal’ of both in person and online OLLI learning. Dara will officially become the OLLI West Manager on May 3rd.
