The spark of the Massachusetts Councils on Aging ignited in 1974 when a group of senior center staff and board members gathered in Northampton, MA. Three year later, Massachusetts general law Title VII, Chapter 40, Section 8B established Councils on Aging across the commonwealth, and two years later, the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging and Senior Center Directors incorporated as a 501c3 to be the trade association for the Councils on Aging.
While Councils on Aging and Senior Centers provide support services to older adults and their families and caregivers, the Massachusetts Councils on Aging provides support and training to, and advocacy for, the Councils on Aging statewide.
MCOA has had a rich history throughout the years, and has recently seen rapid growth. Advocating for Councils on Aging, MCOA has influenced increased Formula Grant local aid to the Councils on Aging, provided capacity building and technical assistance to the Councils, and holds an annual Fall Conference, which has grown to be the largest of its kind in New England.
Today, there are 350 established Councils on Aging in Massachusetts, and MCOA has rapidly grown to accommodate their needs. Staff has grown to include social workers, former COA Directors, and a Registered Dietician.
Building strategic partnerships to educate, empower, and advocate for professionals who work with older adults.
Educate. Advocate. Collaborate.
MCOA is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness for Massachusetts older adults that makes our Councils on Aging welcoming places for all. We are able to grow and learn better together through our diversity, and the inclusion of each and every one of Massachusetts older adults. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent that we each bring to the senior center is invaluable. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.
Executive Director
Assistant Director
Direcotor, Member Services
Director of Member Services, Healthy Aging
Directo of Member Services
Director of Member Services
Elected on June 23, 2022 at the Annual Meeting held at Devens Commons
| Title | Candidate | District |
| Chair | Marge McDonald | NORTHEAST |
| Vice Chair | Emily Shea | METRO |
| Past President | Becky Moriarty | WEST |
| Secretary | Susan Pacheco | METRO |
| Assistant Secretary | Janice Long | METRO |
| Treasurer | Mignonne Murray | METRO |
| Assistant Treasurer | Brian O’Grady | WEST |
| Conference Chair | Jodi Zepke | WEST |
| Legislative Chair | Josie Dutil | CENTRAL |
| Certification Chair | Joanne Moore | SOUTHEAST |
| At Large | Amy Waters | CENTRAL |
| At Large | Pam Hunt | SOUTHEAST |
| At Large | Grace O’Donnell | METRO |
| At Large | Terri Marciello | NORTHEAST |
| At Large | Stacey Minchello | NORTHEAST |
| At Large | Sharmila Biswas | SOUTHEAST |
| At Large | Nancy Hill | SOUTHEAST |
| Northeast District: McDonald, Marciello, Minchello | ||
| Region | Municipalities | Regional Representatives |
| Minuteman | Acton, Arlington, Bedford, Boxborough, Burlington, Carlisle, Concord, Harvard, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Maynard, Stow, Wilmington, Winchester, Woburn | Sharon Mercurio, Acton COA, (978) 929-6652 Kristine Shah, Arlington COA, (781) 316-3400 |
| Mystic Valley | Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Revere, Stoneham, Wakefield, Winthrop | TBD |
| Greater Lynn Senior Services, and SeniorCare | Beverly, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynn, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Nahant, Rockport, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham | Theresa Woodbury, Hamilton COA, (978) 468-5595 |
| AgeSpan | Amesbury, Andover, Billerica, Boxford, Chelmsford, Danvers, Dracut, Dunstable, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Marblehead, Merrimac, Middleton, Methuen, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Peabody, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, West Newbury, Westford | Pam Blaquiere, Boxford COA, (978) 887-3591 Colleen Ranshaw-Fiorello, Georgetown, (978) 352-5726 Bethany Loveless, Dracut COA, (978) 957-2611 Brienne Walsh, Merrimac COA, (978) 948-7637 Jean Bushnell, Billerica COA, (978) 671-0916 Kathy Shelp, North Andover COA, (978) 688-9560 |
| Southeast District: Moore, Hunt, Biswas, Hill | ||
| Region | Municipalities | Regional Representatives |
| Coastline | Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Gosnold, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Rochester | Jackie Coucci, Mattapoisett COA, (508) 758-4110 Cynthia Wallquist, New Bedford COA, (508) 991-6251 Amy DiPietro, Dartmouth COA, (508) 999-4717 |
| South Shore | Braintree, Cohasset, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Milton, Norwell, Quincy, Randolph, Scituate, Weymouth | Linda Kelley, Scituate COA, (781) 545-8722 Susan Curtin, Norwell COA, (781) 659-7878 |
| Old Colony | Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Carver, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Easton, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Kingston, Lakeville, Marshfield, Middleborough, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Rockland, Stoughton, Wareham, West Bridgewater, Whitman | Carol C. Hamilton, Marshfield COA, (781) 834-5581 Michelle Bratti, Plymouth COA, (508) 830-4230 Gretchen Emmetts, Pembroke COA, (781) 294-8220 Emily Williams, Bridgewater COA, (508) 697-0929 |
| Cape & Islands | Aquinnah, Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Buzzards Bay, Chatham, Chilmark, Dennis, Eastham, Edgartown, Falmouth, Gay Head, Harwich, Hyannis, Mashpee, Nantucket, Oak Bluffs, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Tisbury, Truro, Wellfleet, West Tisbury, Yarmouth | Judi Wilson, Orleans COA, (508) 255-6333 |
| Bristol County | Attleboro, Berkley, Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Mansfield, North Attleboro, North Westport, Norton, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Taunton, Westport | Beverly Bisch, Westport COA, (508) 636-1026 Laurie Pimentel, Swansea COA, (508)676-1831 |
| Metro District: Colino, Shea, Pacheco, Murray, O’Donnell | ||
| Region | Municipalities | Regional Representatives |
| BayPath | Ashland, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Natick, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Westborough | Trish Pope, Marlborough COA, (978) 485-6492 Amy Beck, Hopkinton COA, (508) 497-9730 Randy Aylsworth, Framingham COA, (508) 532-5980 |
| Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop | Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop | Melissa Carlson, Boston AgeStrong Commission, (617) 635-4366 |
| Springwell | Belmont, Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston | LaTanya Steele, Needham COA (781) 455-7555 |
| HESSCO | Canton, Dedham, Foxborough, Medfield, Millis, Norfolk, Norwood, Plainville, Sharon, Walpole, Westwood, Wrentham | Lina Arena-DeRosa, Westwood COA, (781) 329-8799 Kathie Medieros, Sharon COA, (781) 784-8000 Kerri McManama, Walpole COA, (508) 668-3330 |
| Central District: Waters, Long | ||
| Region | Municipalities | Regional Representatives |
| Aging Services of North Central Massachusetts | Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Berlin, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Pepperell, Princeton, Shirley, Sterling, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster, Winchendon | Debra Goodsell, Clinton COA, (978) 365-9416 |
| Elder Services of Worcester Area | Auburn, Barre, Boylston, Grafton, Hardwick, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, New Braintree, Oakham, Paxton, Rutland, Shrewsbury, West Boylston, Worcester | Eileen Clarkson, Barre COA 978-355-5004 |
| Tri-Valley | Bellingham, Blackstone, Brookfield, Charlton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Franklin, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millville, North Brookfield, Northbridge, Oxford, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Sutton, Upton, Uxbridge, Warren, Webster, West Brookfield | Leslie Wong, Sturbridge COA, (508) 347-7575 |
| West District: O’Grady, Moriarty, Zepke | ||
| Region | Municipalities | Regional Representatives |
| Greater Springfield | Agawam, Brimfield, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Holland, Longmeadow, Monson, Palmer, Springfield, Wales, West Springfield, Wilbraham | Paula Dubord, Wilbraham COA, (413) 596-8379 Michael Squindo, Agawam COA, (413) 821-0604 |
| WestMass ElderCare | Belchertown, Chicopee, Granby, Holyoke, Ludlow, South Hadley, Ware | Leslie Hennessey, South Hadley COA, (413) 538-5042 Sherry Manyak, Chicopee COA, (413) 534-3698 |
| Highland Valley | Amherst, Blandford, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Easthampton, Goshen, Granville, Hadley, Hatfield, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Northampton, Pelham, Plainfield, Russell, Southampton, Southwick, Tolland, Westfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg, Worthington | Tina Gorman, Westfield COA, (413) 562-6435 |
| LifePath | Ashfield, Athol, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Greenfield, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Monroe, Montague, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Petersham, Phillipston, Rowe, Royalston, Shelburne, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell, Whately | Jennifer Remillard, South County COA (Sunderland), (413)665-2141 |
| Elder Services of Berkshire County | Adams, Alford, Becket, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Egremont, Florida, Great Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Ashford, New Marlborough, North Adams, Otis, Peru, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sandisfield, Savoy, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Williamstown, Windsor | Jim Clark, Pittsfield COA, (413) 499-9346 |
Fiscal Year 2021
Fiscal Year 2020
Fiscal Year 2019
Fiscal Year 2019
