Michael Wagler, who has been Main Street Iowa’s coordinator for nearly 13 years, has been named the Iowa state director for AARP.

Wagler, who began his new position on Nov. 11, will oversee AARP’s Iowa office, which includes four full-time employees and a volunteer advisory executive council that works on behalf of Iowans 50 years and older. Iowa has more than 329,000 AARP members.

Wagler succeeds Brad Anderson, who moved into a new role as AARP’s vice president of community engagement.

“I’m excited to dive in and continue the important work of advancing programs that support older Iowans and their families,” Wagler said in a news release.

Wagler, who lives in Des Moines, has spent the past 20 years working on community development efforts across Iowa. He has been with the Main Street Iowa program since 2002 and became state coordinator in 2012. As state coordinator, Wagler led the coordination of technical assistance and grants for over 50 local community development nonprofits across Iowa, which work on strengthening local economies, place-making and neighborhood revitalization projects.

Wagler is on the Main Street America board of directors, where he advises on the development of state and federal advocacy priorities for Main Street. Locally, he is also president of Varsity Cinema – Des Moines Film, which oversaw the rehabilitation and reopening of Des Moines’ historic Varsity Cinema. He has been a caregiver for his parents, which has led him to care about the journey of caregivers and to get more actively involved with organizations that support caregivers in the community, according to a news release.

Wagler has a bachelor’s degree from Savannah College of Art and Design and a master’s degree in community and regional planning from Iowa State University.