Our leadership: dedicated, innovative, mission-driven

Maggie Skaza and Brown Family House have grown up together.

Fresh out of college, Maggie’s first few months were spent in a hard hat before the building opened, welcoming 73 residents in September 2020.

She was hired to be the Group Services Coordinator and plan engaging activities, but Maggie says the first half of her career at 2Life was “Covid rule enforcer.” She wrote and rewrote safety protocols, coordinated testing and later vaccination clinics, and kept seniors safe in their apartments and visitors out.

When residents could not see family or even meet each other, they had Maggie.
She has built close relationships with the small community that relies on her not only for fun but for support. She checks in when someone is missing from their usual class and worries when she is on vacation.

The residents look out for Maggie, too. One calls her “granddaughter,” and many treat her that way.

“Whenever I’m gone, they’ll check in with my supervisor to make sure I’m all right and say they miss me,” Maggie says.

Known for her care and creativity, Maggie organizes unique and enriching experiences. Whether that is a glass mosaic workshop, a salsa class, or a belly dancing performance, she keeps things lively.

Every weekday, Maggie posts a “joke of the day” and a small drawing in the lobby, where she works at the front desk. Residents look forward to it so much that they quickly let her know if she forgets to change it. At this point, she has shared more than 1,000 jokes.

“Residents stop and chuckle — or groan!” she laughs.

When she is not brightening up the Brown Family House community, Maggie is working toward a master’s in gerontology and aging services, which she says would not be possible without tuition assistance from 2Life.

She also enjoys finding odd museums, hiking to castles, and attending quirky live performances. Maggie’s love for the arts and her family roots in Boston keep her grounded and inspired.

Jarek Kaczynski, 67, is brilliant with words and handy with tools.

Half his lifetime ago, Jarek arrived in the U.S. He had given up a successful career as a journalist and publisher in Poland to be closer to his son.

He got a job washing dishes in a pizzeria, where he set his mind to learning English from the young staff. After work, they would take Jarek to bars. They were there to listen to live music. Jarek was mostly there to listen to his friends.


English has served him well, of course, but now, as part of his job on the maintenance crew at 2Life, Jarek talks with residents in different languages every day. Although he is 100% Polish, he can also speak other Slavic languages. His time living in Moscow helps him connect with the many seniors on 2Life’s Brighton Campus who speak only Russian.

“When they need me, I am there to repair,” Jarek says. And while he is fixing a leaky faucet or replacing a thermostat, they chat easily in Russian. “I grew up in that kind of culture. We have a lot in common, like movies and songs. They call me ‘brother spirit.’”

Jarek is also often called on to translate for residents during emergencies. His supervisor believes Jarek has helped save lives in the year and a half he has worked there.

“I feel good that I can help,” he says. “But I am a gentle spirit. For me, sometimes it is very hard.”

Jarek unwinds by writing and reading. He reads two Polish journals a week and surrounds himself with books. He is constantly learning and enjoys practicing Spanish with friends on the maintenance crew.

Every Sunday, he and his friends from Boston’s Polish Triangle neighborhood meet at a donut shop chain and talk for hours.

They bring Polish “donuts” fresh from a local market, “but we buy lots of coffee, so it’s all right,” Jarek laughs. “I like to be close to my friends.”

When it comes to helping others, Jarek is always there. Whether fixing something around the community, offering a listening ear, or reassuring a resident in need, he goes above and beyond — even when it is hard.

Inside Coleman House, Viktoria Seretyrova answers to honey, dear, darling — and octopus.

“The residents say my hands are everywhere doing many things,” laughs the community coordinator, who says every day offers the chance to learn something new. “I love feeling like I'm doing something helpful.”

Joining the 2Life team has been a refreshing and fitting change for the IT graduate, who now greets everyone with a smile at the front desk, assists our compliance department, and works with over 300 seniors.

“I really enjoy being surrounded by people all the time,” Viktoria says. “I can’t see people when I’m working on computers.”

Viktoria grew up in Kalmykia, a republic of Russia that borders the Caspian Sea. She was never far from her Ääj (“grandmother” in Kalmyk) and was treated like family by her grandmother’s friends. The supportive community she watched those women create and nurture prepared her well for a career at 2Life. Viktoria joined the Coleman House staff last July and quickly endeared herself to the older adults there.

"Sometimes, I can forget they are not my family, because it feels like family when you check in with each other," she says.

When she moved to the United States three years ago, she spoke very little English. Now at work, she speaks about half the time in English and half in Russian, like 47% of seniors in Coleman House.

One resident stops by to chat several times a week, and Viktoria always has a few pronunciation questions ready for the New England native, grateful for his help and friendship. Another resident-turned-friend speaks only Russian and reminds Viktoria of her grandmother, the strong, intelligent woman who raised her 5,000 miles away.

With her caring nature and commitment to service, Viktoria has built lasting bonds with the residents in a very short time. Through her, they not only find a trusted companion but a reminder of the power of kindness and the value of community.

“When someone has a worry or a problem, they know I listen and try to bring calm. I tell them they are not alone,” she says. “They share with me everything. It makes me proud that they trust me.”


Viktoria is a thoughtful observer and has the vantage point — and desire — to witness so much.

“I see a lot of life surrounding me. It’s a lot of different stories, emotions, visions of the world,” she says. “I love the sharing of cultures, people living happily together without any complaints. For me, it’s like magic.”