Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer

AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois

 

Lombard, IL

 

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW:

 

For more than 50 years, AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois has worked to ensure that people can age with confidence, purpose, connection, opportunity and choice. AgeGuide brings together public resources, community partners, and a powerful regional network to strengthen the systems and services that support older adults, veterans, and their caregivers across a region with a growing aging population. Its work includes advocacy, community needs assessments, program development, grant administration, service coordination, and the advancement of policies that support people in aging well and remaining engaged in their communities.

 

AgeGuide is the federally designated Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, a diverse eight-county region that is home to more than 770,000 older adults. It is one of 13 AAAs in Illinois and 622 nationally, part of a nationwide infrastructure created through the Older Americans Act to plan, coordinate, fund, and advocate for services that enable people to age well in their communities.

 

Working closely with its Advisory Council and Board of Directors, AgeGuide incorporates the perspectives and lived experiences of older adults into its planning, funding priorities, advocacy, and program development. Unlike many direct-service organizations, AgeGuide works primarily through a network of community-based partners, using its regional perspective to identify needs, develop programs, coordinate resources, and strengthen the aging-services ecosystem.

 

With approximately $30 million in annual resources, AgeGuide operates largely as a pass-through funder and steward of public resources rather than a direct-service organization. Primarily funded through the federal Older Americans Act and the Illinois Department on Aging, AgeGuide directs more than $26 million annually to 35+ community-based partners providing nutrition, transportation, caregiver support, legal assistance, health promotion classes, benefits counseling, social connection, and other essential services. AgeGuide also directly provides a Veteran Directed Care program through a partnership with several Veterans Affairs Medical centers, helping veterans receive the support they need to remain in their homes and communities.

After 16 years with the organization, CEO Marla Fronczak will retire at the end of 2026, leaving behind a robust organization with experienced leadership, strong partnerships, and a respected regional, state and national voice. As the aging population grows and the needs of older adults and caregivers evolve, AgeGuide must continue to adapt to keep pace with increasing demand and changing needs. The next CEO will build on this strong foundation and help shape how AgeGuide serves the region in the years ahead.

 

To learn more about AgeGuide, please visit the website here: https://ageguide.org/

 

POSITION SUMMARY:

 

AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization into its next chapter. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO will lead a staff of approximately 35, including five direct reports, and provide strategic, operational, and external leadership. The CEO will also maintain strong working relationships with the Illinois Department on Aging and the Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging, ensuring alignment with state guidelines and navigating the legislative and political environment affecting aging services. The next CEO will inherit an organization with a strong track record of impact, experienced leadership, deep community relationships, and a respected network of funded partners, with an opportunity to build on that momentum as the aging-services landscape continues to evolve.

 

The CEO will listen first and lead with curiosity, taking time to understand AgeGuide's staff, Board members, programs, and funded partners while valuing the institutional knowledge and relationships that have contributed to its success. Working closely with the Board, Advisory Council, leadership team, staff, and partners, the CEO will translate AgeGuide's Strategic Plan and Area Plan into clear priorities and measurable results. The CEO will value and advance diversity across the Board and staff, ensuring that a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives informs the organization's leadership and decision-making. They will provide engaged, hands-on executive oversight across programs, finance, human resources, technology, compliance, internal controls, and risk, while empowering an experienced leadership team.

 

As AgeGuide's chief ambassador and advocate, the CEO will strengthen the organization's role as a regional planner, funder, convener, quality-assurance partner, and advocate, while expanding its visibility and influence across the region and beyond. They will cultivate relationships with elected officials, government agencies, healthcare organizations, community leaders, funded providers, and peer aging organizations.

 

With much of AgeGuide's funding rooted in federal and state programs, the CEO will champion public policy and continued investment in aging services, while identifying opportunities to diversify revenue through innovation, strategic partnerships, and expanded fee-for-service programs.

 

For a seasoned leader passionate about improving the experience of aging, this is an opportunity to build on AgeGuide's strong foundation and shape an ambitious next chapter for the organization and the communities it serves.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

• Strategic Leadership & Execution: Translate AgeGuide's Strategic Plan and Area Plan into clear priorities, measurable goals, and action, while positioning the organization to respond to emerging needs and opportunities.

• Organizational & Operational Leadership: Provide executive oversight across programs, finance, human resources, technology, compliance, and risk, ensuring strong systems, accountability, and organizational performance.

• Government Relations & Advocacy: Cultivate strong relationships with elected officials and government agencies and advocate at the local, state, and federal levels for policies and resources that advance the needs of older adults and caregivers.

• Funded Partner Network & Service Quality: Strengthen AgeGuide's network of funded partners through trusted relationships, ongoing engagement, and effective contract and performance oversight; work alongside providers to address challenges and ensure high-quality, person-centered services.

• Public Funding & Compliance: Ensure federal and state resources are administered in accordance with the Older Americans Act, Illinois requirements, grant conditions, and applicable reporting standards; maintain executive accountability for compliance monitoring, audit readiness and response, and corrective action plans.

• Aging Policy & Regulatory Leadership: Provide leadership in interpreting and implementing federal and state statutes, regulations, and aging-related programs; lead high-stakes regulatory interpretation and negotiation with the Illinois Department on Aging.

• External Partnerships & Visibility: Elevate AgeGuide's visibility and influence by building strategic relationships across healthcare, government, nonprofit, philanthropic, and community sectors and identifying opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

• Financial Stewardship: Ensure responsible stewardship of AgeGuide's public and private resources through strong internal controls, sound financial management, audit readiness, and effective risk management.

• Healthcare Contracting & Revenue Diversification: Lead AgeGuide's healthcare contracting and business development strategy to diversify revenue through partnerships with the VA, CMS, Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), and other public and private entities. Bring expertise in healthcare financing, government contracting, value-based partnerships, and market development to drive sustainable growth and expand AgeGuide's impact.

• Board & Advisory Council Partnership: Maintain transparent, collaborative relationships with the Board of Directors and Advisory Council, providing timely strategic information, supporting effective governance, recruitment, and engagement.

• People, Culture & Organizational Capacity: Lead and develop a strong senior leadership team, foster an inclusive and age-friendly workplace, strengthen staff development and succession planning, and ensure the organization has the structure and talent to deliver on its priorities.

• Data, Technology & Innovation: Strengthen the use of data, technology, and emerging tools to inform resource allocation, evaluate outcomes, improve organizational effectiveness, and identify new approaches to serving a rapidly changing aging population.

• Aging-Sector Leadership: Maintain an active leadership presence within the Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging (I4A) and other state and national aging networks, sharing best practices, strengthening cross-agency collaboration, and bringing emerging ideas and successful models to AgeGuide.

• Organizational Resilience: Lead the organization through funding delays, regulatory changes, provider instability, political shifts, and other disruptions, while maintaining continuity of critical programs and services.

 

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES & PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

 

While no single candidate will bring every single competency, strong candidates will offer the following skills, characteristics, and experiences:

 

• Visionary Strategist & Pragmatic Operator: A forward-looking leader who can see the broader forces shaping aging services while maintaining a disciplined focus on execution. They will translate AgeGuide's mission and strategic priorities into clear plans, measurable results, and sustainable programs. Comfortable navigating complex funding, regulatory, and service-delivery systems, they will balance innovation with sound judgment, financial stewardship, and operational accountability.

• Dynamic Communicator & Trusted Bridge-Builder: An engaging and credible leader who can connect authentically with older adults, caregivers, staff, Board members, funded partners, policymakers, and community leaders. They will listen with empathy, communicate complex issues clearly, and navigate difficult conversations with candor and respect. A compelling storyteller and ambassador, they will elevate AgeGuide's visibility, strengthen its influence, and build partnerships across diverse communities and sectors.

• Compassionate, Inclusive & Courageous Leader: A mission-driven leader who brings integrity, emotional intelligence, humility, and resolve to their work. They will value the knowledge and experience of staff and partners, foster an inclusive and accountable culture, and create the conditions for people to succeed. Resilient and adaptable, they will make thoughtful but timely decisions, address difficult issues directly, and keep the needs of older adults and caregivers at the center of the organization's work.

 

LOCATION, COMPENSATION, & BENEFITS:

 

This is a hybrid role based in AgeGuide's Lombard office. The CEO is expected to maintain a regular and visible office presence, work closely with staff, and engage actively with funded partners and communities across DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. The position requires regular regional travel, occasional statewide and national travel, and periodic evening and weekend commitments.

 

The anticipated salary range for this full-time, salaried position is $130,000 to $160,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. AgeGuide offers generous paid time off and holidays, as well as a comprehensive health and retirement benefits package.

 

HOW TO APPLY:

 

To express your interest in this opportunity, please submit your resume and cover letter on Maneva Group's website.

 

All inquiries and discussions will be handled with the utmost confidentiality. This position is available immediately, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the role is filled.

We look forward to hearing from you!

 

ABOUT MANEVA GROUP:

 

Maneva Group is a leading woman- and minority-owned executive search firm dedicated to connecting exceptional talent with organizations committed to making a meaningful impact. Through a consultative and client-focused approach, Maneva Group partners with mission-driven organizations to build transformative leadership teams.

 

Our name, Maneva, comes from the combination of two Sanskrit words: "Mānav" meaning mankind & "Sevā" meaning service. We are driven by the ideal of our name: service to humanity.