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
John optimizes Lasell Village’s relationship with Lasell University to ensure courses offered at the Village are intriguing, challenging and interesting. John appreciates that education is at the heart of Lasell Village. He obtained a BS in ceramic and materials engineering and a BA in history from Clemson University, and holds a PhD in American civilization from Harvard University. John brings a range of educational experience as a teaching fellow, an educational website designer and an academic director.Cheryl Sacks, Director of Marketing and Sales
Cheryl brings years of experience in management to Lasell Village. She started her career in the travel industry in marketing and sales, worked many years in women’s health, became a management consultant, and has now come full circle back to marketing and sales in her hometown of Newton. She graduated from Union College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.Pamela DelliCarpini, Chief People Officer
Pamela joined the Village in 2016 with over 20 years of Human Resources experience. She began her career in management at Dun & Bradstreet and later became the VP of Operations for the Credit Network. Pamela has delivered on all aspects of Human Resources from talent acquisition and benefits administration, to performance management and development.
She enjoys the positive impact she brings to the Village by partnering with the management team to create a culture of caring at Lasell.
Ben Bailey, Assistant Vice President of Facilities and Capital Management
Ben brings over 25 years of experience in facility management at senior living communities. His responsibilities range from overseeing daily building upkeep to managing all capital projects and renovations. Ben and his team keep our community safe, secure, up to date and comfortable for all our residents and staff. Ben’s hand is in all we do at Lasell Village, from keeping our hallways appropriately lit, to managing major construction projects and even installing solar panels to keep Lasell Village’s commitment to conserving energy. Ben is a graduate of UMass Boston with a bachelor’s degree in History.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
Armando manages the culinary team that is responsible for all the dining venues at Lasell Village. He has been at Lasell since the opening in 2000, starting as the Sous Chef, and becoming the Executive Chef in 2003. He brings a background of fine dining and hospitality. He was trained using scratch- cooking techniques, and is certified in Food and Nutrition Management from the University National of Mexico City. Armando creates assorted delicious menus, appealing to a variety of needs and palates. Lasell Village is known for its excellent food.
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
Nathaniel Margolis
General Counsel/ Strategic Advisor, Alpine Tremont 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
Kay Sloan
Chair, Lasell Village Resident Advisory Council
Margery Silver
Trustee Emerita