Longtime Scituate senior center director retires; Diane Pico to start July 6

Susan Drevage Kelly, vice chair of the Scituate Council on Aging Board, opened a tribute to outgoing director Linda Hayes Kelly at the board’s regular meeting, calling Kelly’s leadership a defining feature of the center’s growth and calling her ‘‘a treasure to this town.’’

The board presented a surprise gift and read remarks thanking Kelly for decades of service. ‘‘Your leadership has helped shape this organization and this whole building,’’ Susan Drevage Kelly said during the tribute. Members gave prolonged applause and shared memories before a reception and cake.

At the meeting, Linda Hayes Kelly announced the hire of Diane Pico as the senior center’s next director. Kelly said Pico ‘‘will start officially on July 6th’’ and that Pico will work with Kelly for a few days during the handover. Kelly also noted the appointment was announced through town HR and that the hire proceeded despite a townwide hiring freeze that does not bar refilling existing positions.

Board members said they expect a managed transition. The meeting included expressions of confidence in Pico’s background: Kelly described Pico’s experience in neighboring towns, including time as a director in Pembroke and earlier roles in Hingham and Cohasset. The board did not vote on any additional actions related to the hire during the meeting.

The board’s immediate next steps are the brief overlap for on‑the‑job transition and the usual operational handoffs; no further timeline for organizational changes was announced at the meeting.