Town officials last week approved the hiring of a New Canaan resident as program manager at a community facility in Waveny that serves local adults and especially seniors.
Kathy Collins, a licensed social worker, will fill the position at Lapham Community Center following a 3-0 vote by the Board of Selectmen.
“She knows the community very well,” Mimi Pitt, project coordinator in the town Human Resources department, told the selectmen at their regular meeting, held Aug. 3 in Town Hall.
The program manager position at Lapham became vacant when Aggie Aspinwall took over as director of the facility last year, Pitt said. The town received 20 applications for the program manager job, and interviewed eight candidates, Pitt said.
An interview panel that included Human Resources and Human Services officials, as well as representatives from the first selectman’s office and Town Council, “were all very impressed” by Collins, Pitt said.
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted 3-0 to approve the hiring.
According to her resume, Collins earned a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y., an MBA from Iona College’s Hagan School of Business in New Rochelle, N.Y. and a master’s degree in social work from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. She worked for two years from 2017 to 2019 as director of member resources at Staying Put in New Canaan. Most recently, Collins worked starting in May as director of social services at Ludlowe Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Fairfield, the resume said.
Aspinwall, a guest at the meeting, said she’d worked very well with Collins when Collins was at Staying Put.
“She does have a lot of qualifications for this position and she is very excited to join us,” Aspinwall said.
Corbet asked for confirmation that Collins had been at her current position for just a short period of time. Pitt and Aspinwall responded yes and said that impact of COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult in long-term care settings and that Collins was seeking to work closer to home.
Corbet said, “We are excited to have her.”
According to town website, Lapham Community Center “provides programs and services for all adult residents of New Canaan (age 21+) in a friendly and informal setting.”
“Continuing education courses, various health and exercise programs, and numerous special events are offered throughout the year, with the goal of enriching lives and building a stronger community,” the website says. “Lapham Community Center gives members the opportunity to develop new talents, acquire new knowledge, and forge new friendships within a supportive and inclusive community. Offerings are created in response to the evolving needs and interests of members, both new and old, as Lapham strives to provide New Canaan’s adult population with a true community center.”