After 18 years under the leadership of Denise Scruggs, the University of Lynchburg’s Beard Center on Aging welcomes Joseph L. Lugo as its new director.
“Joseph has worked with caregiver support and other programs at the U.S. Administration for Community Living,” Scruggs, the outgoing director, said. “I know he brings a wealth of experience and ideas to the center and the community.
“I’m really excited to watch what he does for the center moving forward.”
Lugo brings more than 25 years of experience in the field of aging at the federal, state, and local levels. Before arriving at the Beard Center, he was director of the Center for Innovation and Partnership in the U.S. Administration for Community Living in Washington, D.C.
During his tenure there, he led multiple national and state initiatives, including Aging and Disability Resource Centers, No Wrong Door System, Person-Centered Counseling Training Program, Veteran Directed Care Program, and statewide rollout of the Illinois Family Caregiver Support Program.
Lugo has a master’s degree in gerontology and a graduate certificate in public management practices from the University of Illinois at Springfield. In conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, he participated in the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program and Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership Program.
In addition, he was a James H. Dunn Fellow and a Learning to Lead Fellow.
His goal is to continue to grow the Beard Center’s impact on the community.
“Dr. Belle Boone Beard started … the Beard Center to address the challenges for this modern day,” he said. “We are at a unique time where there are just as many people turning the age of 65 as 18.
“This is having vast implications across every industry and will bring incredible opportunities for younger generations entering the workforce. The University of Lynchburg is prepared to respond.
“The Beard Center will also continue to recognize the unsung heroes in our health care system, which are formal and informal caregivers which provide the vast majority of care in this country.
“I’m honored to be serving as the fourth director of the Beard Center and will build upon the already established deep roots of serving older adults and caregivers alongside some of the best community-based partners in Virginia.”
