On July 1, The MnSF Board of Directors appointed Reid A. Zimmerman as interim executive director of the state Minnesota Senior Federation. Lee Graczyk, who has filled that position for the past year, will devote his time to issues of public policy important to seniors. 

Additionally, as an efficiency move, the entire staff of Metro Region are now employed by the state organization. “It wasn't good financial or staff management,” said Zimmerman, “to have two payrolls and two insurance packages for staff that are effectively operating one organization. It was time to make the change.” 

Graczyk concurred and added: “I'm delighted to get back full time to the political issues work I enjoy. It is important that organizational direction come from one source. You can't have two executive directors. It just confuses staff and volunteers.”

Dennis Gerhardstein, director of administration, is managing the myriad details in combining the two staff groups into one. “Working with insurance agents, payroll and benefits services and other providers to make sure everything is handled appropriately is challenging. But it will make us much more efficient when it is completed,” said Gerhardstein.

In other leadership and management areas, a new and updated set of personnel policies and fiscal policies manuals have both been implemented in the past month. Staff continues to work on program evaluation and measurement plans that will provide information to the board of directors on activities and effectiveness of the organization's programs and services.