Richard Gottlieb will be leaving Senior Services Inc. in good shape, just as it’s wrapping up a capital campaign that will keep it moving into the direction he’s set for the nonprofit organization — growing into the future.
The organization announced last week that Gottlieb, the group’s president and CEO, will retire in January after more than 35 years as its head. T. Lee Covington, Senior Services’ chief operating officer, will assume the top job in January.
Gottlieb began as executive director in 1981 and has been an effective and compassionate leader. He will be sorely missed. “I don’t know of anyone who has done more to help seniors in Forsyth County than Richard,” Sandra Adams, board chair of Senior Services, said in a news release. “We are very fortunate to have had his visionary leadership and integrity at the helm for more than three decades.”
Gottlieb said in the news release: “We have an all-star team of staff, board and volunteers at Senior Services and I’m so confident of the organization’s continued success in the future.” Over the years, Gottlieb has helped raise awareness of the challenges of aging and help the organization’s clients deal with the consequences. He’s promoted solutions to problems such as helping the elderly remain independent in their own homes and advancing research to fight Alzheimer’s disease. He’s continually reminded the public about the dignity and wisdom the elderly bring to our communities.
During his time at the helm of Senior Services, many good things have happened, including the opening of the Elizabeth and Tab Williams Day Center open, a huge growth in volunteers and in the Meals on Wheels program. In 2008, when a beloved Meals on Wheels volunteer and the man she was trying to serve suffered fatal injuries in an attack, Gottlieb’s steady hand was there to keep services flowing. And he had a lot of back-up: “So many volunteers came in who didn’t need to come in today and just said ‘if you need me, let me know,’” he told the Journal at the time. After his retirement, Gottlieb will stay on in an advisory role as president emeritus.
Working with the public can be a thankless job, especially as needs persist. Soliciting and maintaining a group of volunteers can be trying. But Gottlieb has tackled it all successfully, with good humor and grace. Well done, sir.
