The board of Area Agency on Aging of Western Arkansas and Jim Medley issued a joint announcement on Tuesday saying that medley would retire from his post as the agency’s president and CEO.
Medley, who has been with the agency for 37 years and is a former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, will retire July 22.
“At this time in his life, Mr. Medley decided it was time to focus on his family as well as his other interests, including his plans to seek re-election to the Quorum Court of Sebastian County,” noted the joint statement.
According to the release, Medley began with the Area Agency on Aging when it was a department of the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District in 1978, and subsequently moved the Agency to a separate corporation in 1979.
“Mr. Medley helped grow the AAA from six employees to over 600 employees it has today, and another 300 individuals through subcontracted organizations,” noted the statement.
The statement listed several accomplishments of the agency under Medley. Those included:
• Provide a better quality of life through individually-tailored care with home health, transportation in 21 counties, apartment complexes, 22 senior activities centers, 7 nursing centers, and the purchase of 13 parcels of property, including the corporate office building in downtown Fort Smith;
• The agency led Arkansas among the other seven Area Agencies on Aging in the provision of meals to the elderly and disabled while receiving the least amount of federal dollars for such purpose; and
• Leaving the agency in “excellent financial condition.”