The director of the Council on Aging, Heather Sylvia, has resigned from her position.

Sylvia submitted a resignation letter to Town Administrator David Cressman on Thursday, Jan. 28, saying the work environment at the center had become “hostile,” but did not elaborate further.

Her resignation was effective on that date. She was with Dartmouth’s senior center for five months.

“While I have enjoyed working with you and other town department heads, the environment has become hostile and unmanageable. I don’t feel that I have any other choice than to resign,” she wrote in the brief letter addressed to Cressman.

Cressman said the search for an interim director has begun and will be accompanied by a management study to look at the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. There is no solid timetable for when the next director will be named.

Maria Connor, president of the Friends of the Elderly and a board member for the Council of Aging, said the board members would not comment at this time regarding the resignation.

Sylvia replaced former director Debra Raymond at the end of last summer. Sylvia previously worked as the director of the Acushnet Council on Aging for six years. Her experience made her the top choice for the position.

During her time at Dartmouth’s senior center, Sylvia hoped to create a more inclusive atmosphere by offering programs that would target different age groups.