In the 1960’s, the nation had become focused on senior issues. In 1965, Congress passed the Older Americans Act which established and authorized senior programs, particularly senior centers and related services. At that time, the Agency functioned as a component of the Genesee County Model Cities Program. Federal funds initially flowed through Model Cities, a federal program intended to strengthen communities across the country. In 1974, Valaria Conerly was asked to head up a new division in Model Cities that included the planning and administration of aging programs. The total budget was $25,000. Valley was incorporated in 1976 and Genesee, Lapeer, and Shiawassee Counties joined the City of Flint to comprise Michigan’s Region 5 Planning and Service Area.
The Agency grew and prospered under the direction of Valaria Conerly as Executive Director, having served the seniors of Genesee, Lapeer, and Shiawassee Counties for 30 years.
Kathryn C. Boles was named the President, CEO in 1994. Under Ms. Boles’ direction, the Agency has secured an unprecedented number of federal grants, the Agency has moved toward the use of more technology, and new collaborative partners have been established. The overall revenue has increased to $16,534,295 which excludes additional funding beyond fiscal year-end of $1,328,717 for a total of $17,863,012 in total funding. Ms. Boles has also strengthened the long-term fiscal position of the Agency which will allow for startup capital for new programs and expand services to meet the future needs of the population we serve.
Yaushica Aubert became President, CEO in 2018. Formally, Vice- President of Operations. As VP she was responsible for increasing community awareness of VAAA via branding and community outreach and implementing several award-winning programs such as RSVP and KISS. She has integrated several programs into VAAA such as, Medical Nutrition Therapy (Medicare-funded program) and SilverSneakers. Ms. Aubert has also successfully streamlined the application submission to bill for Medicare-covered services.