The Mizell Center Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Rob Wheeler as Executive Director.
Mizell is a nonprofit organization that has been serving the senior community in the greater Palm Springs area since 1974. An acknowledged leader in active aging, Mizell’s multi-faceted network of programs and services includes its Meals on Wheels Senior Nutrition Program, where 650-plus meals are prepared and delivered every weekday to homebound seniors and senior communal lunch sites across the Valley. In Palm Springs, Mizell’s welcoming space offers community and kinship for seniors from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
Rob is a dynamic and engaged leader who will work closely with Mizell Center’s board, staff, volunteers, and community partners to advance Mizell’s critical work and mission. He will lead the organization’s strategy, operations, administration, fund development, and financial stewardship. Before joining Mizell Center, Rob served as Executive Director & CEO of the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert. Rob was also the Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Executive Director, and Secretary of the Board at the New York City LGBT Community Center, where he led business and staff operations, executing a growth and expansion strategy while leading numerous multi-year transformative organizational efforts.
Rob received his B.A. in Organizational Sociology and Political Science from Hunter College and his Master of Public Administration from New York University, where he subsequently developed a curriculum and taught as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Service. “I’m thrilled and honored to be heading up the Mizell team and grateful for the opportunity to serve the senior community throughout the Valley,” said Wheeler. “Mizell’s values reflect my own, and I’m eager to further its mission of supporting the independence of our senior residents.”
As the first senior center in the Coachella Valley, Mizell Center has been serving the greater Palm Springs community for more than 50 years, providing a vibrant hub for seniors to connect, engage, and experience a community full of life.
“We’re excited to welcome Rob Wheeler to Mizell,” said Brian Chavarin, President of Mizell’s Board of Directors. “In addition to his extensive community service background, we are confident that Rob’s skill set and vitality are just what we need to take us into the future.”
The mission of Mizell Center is to foster a vibrant quality of life and support the independence of Coachella Valley residents as they age. Mizell Center is a non-denominational 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. An acknowledged leader in active aging, Mizell’s multi-faceted network of programs and services is designed to encourage creativity, promote lifelong learning, and sustain an active, healthy, and engaged lifestyle.
Mizell Center began providing Meals on Wheels to area seniors in 1982. It became a sub-contractor of the Riverside County Office on Aging in 2012 and quickly became the largest senior nutrition program in the Coachella Valley.
