As of March 7, the Sno-Valley Senior Center in Carnation has a new director, Lisa Yeager. However, Yeager isn’t new to the senior center, she was the director from 2001 to 2007.

Yeager was named the interim director after the previous director, Peggy McNamara left the area; she will serve as director until a more permanent decision is made.

Yeager left in 2007 as the senior center was about to go through a remodel and fund raising campaign. She thought someone more suited to that type of direction should be the head of the senior center through that project.

“They needed someone whose specialty was fund raising and capital campaigns. They found a great person, Amara Oden, who led them through the changes and getting the remodel done. We added a second floor, lots of rooms and King County helped pay for that,” Yeager said.

After leaving the senior center, Yeager was involved with various non-profits and specialized in volunteer program management. She ended up managing volunteer programs made up of more than 1,400 people at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.

“I returned because the science center was doing a reorganization,” she said. “It seemed like a good time to return to my roots.”

Since leaving in 2007, Yeager has earned a certificate in fund raising and volunteer management and feels ready to return to the Valley to serve as the director for the Senior Center.

“I feel like I’m even more prepared and better qualified this time around,” she said. “I live in Carnation so it’s great to be back in the Valley.”

Yeager hasn’t been out of the senior center completely. For the past three years she has been on the board of directors, advising and supporting McNamara. Her term on the board ended in December, which gave her an opportunity to become the new interim director. Yeager said the decision to name the permanent director will be made in the upcoming months.

“Now I’m serving as interim but after three months we will take a look at everything with the board and myself and there is an option to go permanent,” she said. “I follow on the heels of two very talented ladies. Amara saw us through the remodel, and Peggy put in systems and organization that took the senior center to the next level. It’s an honor to follow after them and their legacy.”