A year ago February 2nd I became Commissioner of the Department for the Aging and began one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. The work of the Department touches the lives of thousands of New York's older residents every day. It has been my goal to strengthen this positive impact and to promote and facilitate the City's commitment to becoming even more age-friendly as the number of older New Yorkers grows.

First I have sought to reach out to all the many stakeholders who want to be part of this effort so that we benefit from the broadest input possible. I've also tried to marshal creative and out-of-the-box thinking about resources and program design, and to make sure that in this time of economic uncertainty we are using precious dollars wisely.

Moving forward, I will continue to engage the aging community at every level, from program director staff at senior centers to executive directors at large community based organizations. Thank you again for all your input and support thus far. I can truly say we are moving in the right direction.

Lilliam Barrios-Paoli
Commissioner
Department for the Aging

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