CASI's new boss resigns, takes job with United Way
After just nine months as the head of the Center for Active Seniors Inc., Connie Benton Wolfe is working her last day in the Quad-Cities today.
She took over as president and CEO of CASI in November, resigning from her job as head of the United Way in Johnson County. It is the United Way that is luring her away again.
“I’m going to work for the United Way in Columbia, Missouri,” she said Thursday. “It’s a good opportunity for me and my family. I did like it (at the United Way), and I also love (the field of) aging. I have two loves in my professional life.”
Although Benton Wolfe’s love of the aging industry brought her to the Quad-Cities, her family did not have an opportunity to dig in roots. She has been commuting from Iowa City, she said, because she was not able to sell her house there.
CASI’s board is forming a search committee for her replacement, she said, and she expects an interim leader to be appointed quickly.
“I have complete faith,” she said of the board’s search. “There are some wonderful people on our board. They’ll find the right person.”
She also had high praise for CASI.
“It’s a real treasure, I think, for the community,” she said. “CASI’s a wonderful organization. I’ll miss the Quad-Cities.”
The fondness is mutual, said Bettendorf City Administrator Decker Ploehn, who serves on the CASI board.
“I thought she was a great asset to our team, and it’s unfortunate we’re losing her,” he said. “I wish she would’ve stayed, but she’s got a great opportunity on many levels.
Barb Ickes can be contacted at (563) 383-2316 or bickes@qctimes.com.