Agency on Aging’s Tina King retiring after 42 years of service

1 10 tina king

Tina King, Executive Director, is retiring after 42 years of service at the New River Valley Agency on Aging, the agency reported today.

Tina came to the New River Valley in 1981, after graduating from the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Education with a concentration in public and school health. She started her career at the New River Valley Agency on Aging in February 1983, eight years after the Agency was formed, working in the In-Home Services program performing assessments and reassessments with clients receiving homemaker services.

 

Within a year, she was promoted to be over the nutrition services programs, both Home Delivered Meals and Congregate Meals, now known as Friendship Cafes. Under her leadership, the Agency was one of the first Area Agencies on Aging in Virginia to receive state level certification in all of the Friendship Café’s throughout the New River Valley.

 

After 8 years working with the Nutrition Programs, Tina had the opportunity to serve as the Director of Programs, overseeing and supervising all Agency services and programs. During her 15 years in this position, she worked to help develop and implement several new programs and services to add to the existing nutrition, transportation and homemaker services, including the Health Insurance Counseling Program, the Local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and Legal Services.

 

When the Virginia Department for Rails and Public Transportation provided the opportunity to apply for a grant for Mobility Coordination, she submitted a grant proposal and the Agency was awarded funding. The Mobility Transportation program has continued to grow and has proven to successfully help hundreds of people to find and access transportation services that meet their needs.

 

Determined to gain new skills and to be better prepared to help meet the challenges that older adults face, Tina went back to school to earn a Master’s Degree from Virginia Tech in Education with a concentration in Public Health in 2002. This was the forerunner of the current Masters of Public Health degree at Virginia Tech.

 

In 2007, Tina was hired as the Executive Director for the Agency on Aging and volunteer Executive Director for Senior Services, the private non-profit agency formed in 1976 following the formation of the Agency on Aging in 1975, in order to provide transportation and meal delivery services.

 

Recognizing that solid relationships are the basis for strong programs and resource building, she has worked among staff, board and advisory council members, community members, community- based organizations and funding sources at all levels to create trust and partnerships that have expanded and enhanced service provision to older adults in the New River Valley.

Targeted and extensive outreach in the community through the Community Engagement staff person and generous donors, has brought about programs over the years that meet additional needs beyond the funding that is allocated for regular programs. Examples of these are: Fido’s Pantry, Staples for Seniors, Supplies for Seniors.

 

In partnership with others, during her years as Executive Director, the Commonwealth Council on Aging, has awarded the Agency a “Best Practices” award 3 times. This is a prestigious state level award for programs that meet an identified need and that are replicable for other agencies to institute. Her work with other agencies and organizations as part of the Leadership Team on Aging in Community in the New River Valley has brought about the development of Aging -in-Place materials that can be used by individuals or in workshops to help adults be better prepared to age in their homes and communities.

 

Reflecting on her almost 42 years of service at the Agency on Aging, Tina is grateful for the privilege to be a part of a strong team of employees, board members, advisory council members, partnering agencies, and networks that have put so much into serving older adults and making a difference in their lives. She is also appreciative for what she has learned from the older adults that she has worked with over the years and emphasizes the value of what they bring to all of us. She is glad that so many in our communities have come together to help make the New River Valley the best place possible to grow older. In her coming retirement, beginning in January 2025, Tina plans to stay as active as possible in the community helping others meet vital needs of people of all ages, but especially older adults.