About Us

Our organization traces its roots to 1974 when the Northeastern Vermont Development Association secured a grant to launch Project Seniors in St. Johnsbury. This was the second program of its kind in the state and offered a gathering place for older Vermonters to share a meal and visit with their neighbors.  Our mission is to provide communities the tools to age well. 

By 1979, and with funding from the Older Americans Act, together with local and state resources, the program had grown to meet additional community needs in Caledonia, Orleans and Essex Counties. Civic leaders formed a Consumer Board to shepherd efforts to create the Northeast Kingdom Council on Aging, Inc., a registered non-profit corporation doing business as the Area Agency on Aging for Northeastern Vermont.

Vermont’s five Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) announce their new affiliation, called the Vermont Aging Network Consortium (VANC). Boards of directors from each of the AAAs have approved the affiliation. 

This new consortium will positively impact the overall cost of health care by leveraging economies of scale, combining resources, and reducing duplication within the community-provider network of home- and community-based services. A focus on establishing future contracts with payers and healthcare systems is expected to further enhance financial sustainability for aging services as they evolve. 

The Vermont Aging Network Consortium will be a separate nonprofit entity within which the individual AAAs will remain active and independent nonprofits as they continue to serve clients in their communities. It will help the AAAs create a sustainable financial model of service by leveraging their strengths, their buying power, and their high-quality systems of service. The AAAs trade association, the Vermont Association of Agencies on Aging (V4A) will continue to separately serve as the lobbying, advocacy, and educational organization for the AAAs. 



The leaders of the five AAAs have been actively collaborating with their respective boards of directors to finalize all agreements for the establishment of the consortium. This includes shaping the governance structure with the creation of a new ten-member board of directors and overseeing the recruitment process for the VANC executive leader which will begin in January/February. 

The VANC Board of Directors include:

Susan Gordon, President of the Board of VANC. Susan is the current President of the NEKCOA Board.

Geri Kogut, Vice President of VANC. Geri is the current President of the Senior Solutions Board.

Meg Burmeister, Secretary of VANC. Meg serves as the Executive Director of NEKCOA.

Rosemary Green, Treasurer of VANC. Rosemary serves as the Executive Director of SVCOA.

Dr. Allan Ramsay, VANC Board member. Dr. Ramsay is the current President of the Age Well Board.

Paula Otenti, VANC Board member. Paula is the current President of the CVCOA Board.

Peter Lawrence, VANC Board member. Peter serves as a Board member of SVCOA.

John Mandeville, VANC Board member. John is the ED of CVCOA.

Mark Boutwell, VANC Board member. Mark is the ED of Senior Solutions.

Jane Catton, VANC Board member. CEO of Age Well.