Our Team
Zehra Abid-Wood, President
Zehra Abid-Wood joined Lasell Village in Spring 2023. She brings with her more than two decades of leadership experience, most recently as senior vice president of strategy and transformation at AlerisLife (formerly Five Star Senior Living). Previously, she was director of project and portfolio management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In prior roles, she was responsible for a staff of more than 150 employees, and oversaw several capital development projects, in addition to holding multiple interim C-suite leadership roles during pivotal transition periods. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Williams College and spent a year studying abroad at Oxford University.
“I am committed to helping reshape the future of aging in place and the continued pursuit of lifelong learning. Lasell Village and Lasell University have such a special relationship that offers countless opportunities for continued growth, partnership, and transformational initiatives in education across the lifespan.”
John Dixon, PhD, Dean of Education
Cheryl Sacks, Director of Marketing and Sales
Pamela DelliCarpini, Director of Human Resources
She enjoys the positive impact she brings to the Village by partnering with the management team to create a culture of caring at Lasell.
Alessandro Vianello, Chief Financial Officer
Alessandro earned his M.S. in Finance with Distinction from the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley University and an undergraduate degree in Economics and Business from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, Italy.
A native of Venice, Alessandro is married with two children and resides in Brookline, MA. He enjoys cooking and has an extensive knowledge of Italian wines. Alessandro is a founding member of Italian Professionals in Boston (PIB) which has grown to over 1,400 members. You can also find him on the soccer field, coaching Brookline Youth Soccer.
Ben Bailey, Assistant Vice President of Facilities and Capital Management
Aaron St. Laurent, Health Care Administrator
Aaron joined Lasell Village in December 2021. He brings over 17 years of experience in the long-term care industry and began his career in skilled nursing facilities as a certified nursing assistant. Aaron held many roles before he ultimately became a licensed nursing home administrator in 2019 .
Aaron and his team are focused on providing exceptional clinical and customer care experience to all they serve. He holds a BS in Biology from the University of Massachusetts.
Armando Lopez, Executive Chef
Board of Trustees
Jeffrey Simon, Chair
Senior Principal, Stantec (retired)
Christine Doyle, Vice Chair
Interim CFO of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
Susan Hass, Clerk
Professor, Simmons College School of Business (retired)
Jeffrey Augustine
Principal, Augustine Financial Solutions, LLC
Deborah Daccord
Attorney, Co-Chair Health Care Transactions Group, Mintz Levin
Julia Gallagher, M.D.
Massachusetts General Hospital,
Division of Palliative Care
Nkem Okeke, M.D.
CEO and President, Medicalincs, LLC
Laurie Samuels Pascal
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Caroline Schastny
Lasell Village Resident Trustee
Kathy Swartz
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (retired)
Judith Tsipis
Lasell Village Resident Trustee
Joseph Rofino
Director of Research, Goodman Advisory Group, LLC
Michael Waldron
Director of Portfolio Management, Heritage Financial Services
Ex Officio Members
Eric Turner
President, Lasell University
Zehra Abid-Wood
President Lasell Village, Vice President Lasell University
Gerry DeRoche
Chair, Lasell University Board of Trustees
Charlotte Frazier, Ph.D
Director, Rose Mary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Studies, Lasell University
Wilma Rosenberg
Chair, Lasell Village Resident Advisory Council