Photograph by Paul Myers
Sean O'Leary (left), the executive director of the Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council, speaks with staff member Bonnie Fambrini while long-time volunteer Norma Bradlyn (foreground) does some work.
Senior Coordinating Council's new director brings change
By Oakley Brooks
The Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council's new executive director just bought himself a Harley, is a morning workout junkie and has a proven soft touch with people.
"I just want to be part of something that's bigger than myself," said Sean O'Leary, who began work May 29 at the program's offices behind city hall. "To do well in this field, you better check your ego at the door."
O'Leary, 33, brings a fresh dynamic to the area's senior community, and he's already making a splash. He recently ordered a big screen TV with enormous surround-sound speakers for the center's lounge. New furniture is on the way. And O'Leary is even talking about bringing in some yoga classes to loosen up the area's elderly.
The 6'3" O'Leary is apparently winning some hearts, too.
"At first I thought 'Oh, my God, they're hiring a guy to run this,'" said Adult Care Center Director Karen Lorenz. "But then I said 'Let's see what he can do.' And so far he's made a good impression on everybody. The seniors love to come in and go talk to him."
As an indicator that he's settling in as Mary Goulart's replacement, he's shaved off the goatee he said he grew to make him look older.
O'Leary thinks his wealth of experience in the adult care field may have eased the transition.
He attended UC Irvine thanks to a track scholarship. After graduating, the Santa Rosa native stayed in Orange County to work with mentally ill adults. He spent most of his time getting homeless people off the streets of Newport Beach, Laguna and Costa Mesa--"literally pulling them out of bushes and from below freeway underpasses," he said.
At 25, he started work at the Mateo Lodge, a home for mentally ill adults in Redwood City. Coordinating treatment for individuals at Mateo was an exhausting experience that O'Leary endured for nearly eight years. He was routinely woken up by his pager in the middle of the night on any given day of the year, answering the calls of patients in dire need of medication or hospitalization. On top of the exhaustive work schedule, O'Leary juggled part-time classes at the University of San Francisco, working toward a degree in nonprofit administration--which he earned in December 1999--and a commute from the Los Gatos house where he still lives with his brother.
The more tranquil life at the Saratoga Senior Center has added a bit of sanity to O'Leary's life.
"Do I feel lucky to be here?" O'Leary said, unprompted. "The answer is yes."
O'Leary is facing new challenges as head of Saratoga's senior programs. He's had to handle the burgeoning interest in the senior program's Senior Surfer class, aimed at making the elderly Internet-savvy. And he's had to get to work on the senior council's annual dinner auction. The event received a big boost recently when O'Leary located a giant replica of an ocean liner at Saratoga High School, which he'll use as the centerpiece of the cruise ship motif at the gathering.
In the long term, O'Leary and the senior council board are facing a dwindling endowment that's been hurt by the economy's recent downturn. The new director says he'll be applying to various private and governmental grant boards for funding to supplement the endowment. As the account stands, it has enough to support a full program budget for two years. But both he and senior council board member Paul Clark say they're not worried about the long-term health of the organization.
"What goes down can always go up," said Clark.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
