Dedicated. Innovative. Mission-driven.
2Life Communities is led by a highly skilled group of thoughtful, seasoned professionals who make every decision with the well-being of Massachusetts' older adults in mind.
Front Row Leadership
Fall 2023
As a mission-driven organization, every member of the 2Life team has an opportunity to make a difference for those we serve. We are particularly proud of management practices that empower every person to be a leader -- whether by providing exceptional service to residents, contributing innovative ideas, or spreading the word about 2Life's mission. In this rotating segment, we highlight people from throughout our organization who lead by example and exemplify the mission of 2Life Communities. You can view all of our Front Row Leaders here.

Shixuan Ai
With a graduate degree in music therapy, Shixuan has brought renewed energy to the program, combining movement, art, and music. Her sessions with residents are filled with song as she encourages participants to sing along as she plays the guitar or piano.
These musical interactions can be extremely powerful. Shixuan points to the example of one resident experiencing dementia who was withdrawn. “One day, I played a Chinese song and she just opened up. The music became a conversation tool that opened her memories,” she recalls, noting that music is an effective way to communicate across languages and cultures.
Shixuan encourages interactions among participants, creating a sense of belonging. “Sometimes, a participant will forget the lyrics to a song, but another person will fill in. They help and support each other,” she explains. “Participants feel they are not alone but part of a community.”
Shixuan says sharing her passion for music with older adults brings her deep satisfaction.
“I enjoy working with the residents at 2Life. Everyone here is focused on the same goal: to help the people who live here have a better quality of life,” she says. “Music can help.”

Sasha Zlotnikova
A native Russian speaker, Sasha serves as a crucial link for residents of Russian and Ukrainian backgrounds. In one recent instance, she helped a Russian-speaking couple re-establish lapsed health coverage, translating and advocating for them as they navigated a complex bureaucratic maze. “If I can make someone’s life a little bit easier, it just feels good,” she explains.
This is Sasha’s second time working at 2Life. After graduating college, she was an administrative assistant at our Brighton campus before moving on to work in the business world. “There was a lot of career and salary potential for me. But it wasn’t giving me a feeling of accomplishment,” she says. “At 2Life, I feel like I’m making an impact.”
Sasha’s drive to help others extends beyond 2Life. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, she has worked to provide support for those impacted by sending essential items and fundraising. “I want to do what I can to provide even a small amount of relief,” she says.
That compassion for others is a motivating force for Sasha. “To see the change in someone’s eyes when you’ve helped them is so rewarding,” she says. “That’s why I’m here.”

Bryan Rose
As a team leader, Bryan is always on top of projects, making sure everyone is informed and supported. He takes on a variety of administrative tasks himself, enabling other team members to focus on what they do best. Bryan is always thinking about how something can be done better and how his team can be more impactful.
When something needs doing, Bryan is often one to step up and do it. That could mean directing parking at a 2Life fundraising event or serving meals to residents at a Thanksgiving dinner.
“I like being helpful and making someone else’s day just a bit easier,” Bryan says, noting that this is a theme at 2Life. “Everyone here is supporting each other, sharing their expertise, and making sure things happen on schedule.”
Before joining 2Life in the spring of 2022, Bryan worked in a variety of fields—including a stint in commercial radio. While he looks back on that chapter fondly, Bryan says coming to 2Life has connected him with a mission that really resonates.
“Everyone here wants to make life better for our residents and for people facing housing insecurity. People here drive that mission forward every day,” Bryan says. “That’s been very inspiring for me. 2Life is an amazing place.”
Corporate Leadership
Community Executive Directors
Board of Directors
Jeffrey Sacks
Board Chair
Jeff Sacks is a leading community development attorney. His clients include large community development corporations, senior housing providers and housing authorities as well as a variety of large institutional service providers. Jeff often represents nonprofit organizations that are embarking on major real estate projects that allow their organizations to deliver their services in new and innovative ways. He works with his clients in using federal low-income housing and historic tax credits to develop affordable housing and mixed-use developments.
Jeff has also worked with a range of public housing authorities to transform of some of the most outdated public housing projects in the Commonwealth into new and vital communities that continue to serve their low-income residents. He served as a public housing authority commissioner for more than 20 years and, in 2013, worked on new legislation in Massachusetts to modernize and reform the Commonwealth’s public housing system. Much of Jeff’s nonprofit work involves advising nonprofit boards of directors about the most efficient and effective legal and financial approaches for fulfilling their corporate missions.
Jeff served as the first chair of the Newton Community Preservation Committee and has worked with that program for more than ten years. This unique state and local partnership provides funding exclusively for community housing, open space preservation, historic preservation and recreation facilities in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
President & CEO
Amy Schectman
Treasurer
Norman Posner
Clerk
David Zaltas
Policy Board
Donald Bloch
Laura Efron
Lynne Elfland
Howard Furman
Robert Gifford
Catharyn Gildesgame
Stacy Goodman
Merle Grandberg
Harvey Greenberg
Donna Kalikow
Bernard Kaplan
Wendy Kraft
Noah Maslan
Adam Scott
Bill Shaevel
Barry Shrage
Harold Stahler
Candace Steingisser
David Trietsch
Harold Tubman
Emeritus
Lenore Asher*
Mickey Cail*
Irwin Chafetz
Joan Cutler*
Ellen Feingold
Robert Helman
Clifton Helman*
Rudolph Kass*
Irma Schretter
Mildred Guberman Kravetz
Norman Leventhal*
Paul Rosenberg*
Melvin Scovell
Marc Slotnick*
Stephen P. Snyder
Alan Solomont
Peter Ulin*
Elaine Werby*
George Wolfe*
*of blessed memory