Senior Services of Will County announces interim CEO

The Will County Seniors Services has appointed Brianne Hetman as interim chief executive officer, effective immediately, according to a news release from the agency.

Hetman came to Senior Services in 2018. She is the current chief operating officer and has served as the interim CEO since July.

The current CEO, Barry Kolanowski, is planning to retire from Senior Services. When Kolanowski came to Senior Services in May 2015, he “faced an agency deficit and a statewide budget impasse” and had to lay off staff, the release said.

But Kolanowski revived the 50-year-old agency, which continued to grow under his leadership, the release said. In 2020, Senior Services of Will County held a groundbreaking event to celebrate the Ovation Center, its new upscale venue for seniors, according to a Sept. 17, 2020, Herald-New story.

The Ovation Center, which is currently under construction, will be housed in the former Target building, located at 349 S. Weber Road in Romeoville.

“The Ovation Center is not just a building. It’s a way of life,” Kolanowski said in the story. “Our whole premise is about raising people’s lives and making it better for them.”

The building has 70,000 to 80,000 square feet of space and is only about 15 minutes away from the current building at 251 N. Center St. in Joliet, he said in the story.

Services the Ovation Center will offer for seniors ages 60 and up include onsite medical services, financial and insurance planning, and recreational activities for older adults.

The property also has 14,000-square foot banquet facility that’s available for the community’s use, the release said.

“The Ovation Center is part of the legacy Barry will leave,” Laura Daley, board president, said in the release. “Those of us that know him personally admire him not only for his for his business efforts, but also his passion for doing what is best for the community.”

For more information, visit willcountyseniors.org.