Charlestown Resident Named Commissioner of Elderly Affairs

Charlestown resident Emily Shea will join Mayor Thomas Menino's staff  as Commissioner of Elderly Affairs. In this role, Shea will oversee the city’s Commission on Elderly Affairs and advance the commission’s work of planning, coordinating and monitoring city services to help improve the quality of life of all senior citizens living in Boston.

“Emily is a passionate advocate for the elderly and has a proven track record of delivering services to Boston’s elderly community,” Mayor Menino wrote in a prepared statement. “We value all of our seniors living within our neighborhoods and Emily’s experience will be a great asset to Boston’s seniors and to my administration.”

Shea most recently served as the director of Elder Services at Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), Boston’s largest anti-poverty agency. Previously, Shea was executive director at the Boston Partnership for Older Adults (BPOA), a coalition of over 200 organizations and individuals working to ensure that all older adults in Boston have the support and resources needed to age with dignity. She also worked for many years in the field of adult day services, operating adult day health and dementia day care programs and working statewide on policy and legislative issues. Shea received her Master’s in Public Health and Master’s in Social Work from Boston University. 

“I am honored to join Mayor Menino’s team as Commissioner of Elderly Affairs,” said Shea. “I am truly excited to begin working to advance the City’s outstanding elderly programs and services and to make Boston the most accessible and elder-friendly city for our residents.”

This information was submitted to Patch in a press release from the mayor's office.