Lise-Anne Deoul, left, replaces Stephanie Brown as Sullivan County's Office for the Aging Director
Monticello, NY – Lise-Anne Deoul has been hired by Sullivan County as the new Director of the Office for the Aging.
A longtime advocate for senior citizens, Deoul most recently was the EISEP (Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program) Case Manager with the Office for the Aging in Rockland County, where she was grew up. As part of her duties, Deoul managed a caseload of 70 citizens and assisted in program administration, often working directly with homebound clients.
“I would tell them, ‘My goal is to keep you out of a nursing home,’” she relates – frequently successful in that effort. “I want seniors to remain as independent as possible.”
After graduating from SUNY Plattsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Deoul began her career with nonprofits, running group homes and working with mentally ill young adults. She transitioned to serving the aging population when she joined Rockland County government in 2000.
“I enjoy meeting people, winning their trust, and contributing to their happiness and comfort,” she explains.
She also seeks to be on the cutting edge of services, not just implementing but creating programs of true value to County residents. Her ideas include finding funding to pay family members who have to give up employment to care for their loved ones.
“I’m excited to learn more about Sullivan County and people’s needs,” she affirms. “I want everyone to know about us and what we do at the Office for the Aging.”
Deoul has long been connected to Sullivan County, visiting her late aunt and uncle, Shirley and Julie Chaiet, and their memorably big sunflower garden in Woodbourne many a summer. She still has family in the County.
Currently a resident of Cornwall, Deoul is married to Stephen Bastion, an RN who works in the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. They have two daughters, 21-year-old nursing student Isabella and 19-year-old communications student Nicola, and two stepchildren, 25-year-old Marine and HVAC student Stephen and 22-year-old phlebotomist Alexis.
Deoul assumed leadership of the Office for the Aging this week, overseeing a staff of 27 who provide a vast range of services, advocacy and equipment to the older population of the County. She replaces Stephanie Brown, who is now Sullivan County’s Assistant County Manager.
“I am thrilled to be succeeded by Lise-Anne in this important public service role,” Brown remarks. “She brings an easy approachability, a deep sense of caring and responsibility, and top-notch skills to the position, and I can’t wait for the people of Sullivan County to meet her personally and appreciate the vision and compassion she carries with her.”
“Matching services to the people who need them is both a challenging and enjoyable task, and I think Lise-Anne shares our drive to hit that mark every single day,” says Joe Todora, Commissioner of the Division of Health and Family Services, which oversees the Office for the Aging. “I look forward to working with her to provide the best we can give to folks in Sullivan County.”
“Our Office for the Aging touches lives across the County, so it’s vitally important we have an outgoing and outreach-oriented person leading that Office,” notes Sullivan County Manager Josh Potosek. “Lise-Anne has spent her entire career doing just that, and I am confident she’ll continue that tradition of service here.”
“Lise-Anne will be an integral component of Sullivan County’s effort to improve our health and overall health rankings,” states District 2 Legislator Nadia Rajsz, chair of the Legislature’s Health & Family Services Committee. “I’m delighted to welcome her to the team!”