CICOA Selects Tauhric Brown as New CEO

CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions announced today that its board of directors has unanimously chosen Tauhric Brown as the nonprofit’s next president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 6. Brown currently serves as the chief operating officer for Senior Services, Inc. of Kalamazoo, Mich., a nonprofit providing services to assure the independence and well-being of older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers in Southwest Michigan. 

Brown succeeds Orion Bell, who served as CICOA’s CEO from 2008 to 2019 and in April accepted the position of president and CEO of the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging in Cleveland, Ohio.

The selection of Brown followed a nationwide search facilitated by Alder Bowman, an executive search firm that partners with clients to identify, assess, and facilitate the hiring of high-impact organizational leaders.

“The board wanted to find a person of high integrity with a strategic vision and relevant experience in the elderly and disability services industry,” said Anne DePrez, president of the CICOA Board of Directors. “We are confident we have found, in Tauhric, a strategic leader who will not only maintain the progress and culture of innovation begun under Orion Bell, but also continue to advance the organization’s mission and strategic direction into the future.”

While at Senior Services, Brown held P&L responsibilities for a $16.5 million annual budget and oversaw the areas of finance, human resources, clinical staff, organizational development, and change management. He also previously served as division director of business development, where he created a new customer service culture and infused LEAN system thinking to increase revenue and decrease program expenses.

Before joining Senior Services, Brown worked as a franchise owner/operator for a multi-carrier wireless retail company, where he honed his business skills by managing sales and operations teams in telecommunications and financial payment processing systems. While leading a sales region, he assumed ownership of a distressed wireless retail franchise, which he turned around and sold at a substantial profit.

Brown also previously served in the U.S. Army, where he held roles in administrative and human resources and facilitated domestic and international deployments.

Brown holds a master of science management degree and a bachelor of science in business administration from Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“I am grateful to the board for this opportunity to lead this nationally recognized and innovative thought leader among Area Agencies on Aging. I look forward to the continued expansion of our services and collaborative partnerships to better meet the needs of the vulnerable populations we serve,” Brown said.

DePrez also thanked Mary Durell, CICOA’s chief operating officer and interim CEO, for her steady leadership during the transition process.

“As interim CEO, Mary did far more than merely act as a caretaker for the organization. She moved the organization forward in a number of strategic directions. Indeed, the entire leadership team has stayed remarkably focused on the job at hand while continuing to build into the future,” DePrez said. “The board appreciates not only their skill and hard work, but also their dedication to those we serve.”