Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care are profiling the McKnight’s 2022 Women of Distinction honorees daily July 5 through Aug. 11. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.

As the CEO of 2Life Communities, Amy Schectman has implemented countless innovative policies, bringing a passion described as “infectious” to the job. 2Life is home to residents from more than 30 countries who have a median annual income of just more than $12,000,

“Amy is probably one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Her passion, drive and her spirit of enthusiastic innovation is something that has marked her as one of the outstanding contributors to our field,” said Don Shulman, president and CEO of the Association of Jewish Aging.

Her 40-year career has included time as an affordable housing advocate, policymaker, developer and organizational leader.  Before her time at 2Life, Schectman held multiple director-level positions and served as the vice president of real estate development for Hebrew SeniorLife. She also was a lecturer and special assistant to the head of the department of urban studies and planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Schectman has led 2Life Communities to becoming a premier not-for-profit senior housing provider in Massachusetts. The company operates 1,372 affordable apartments, with more than 900 new apartments in the development pipeline, and provides services meant to ensure that every one of its more than 1,700 residents is supported. The company’s latest initiative is the new Opus brand for middle-income older adults whose incomes are too high for them to qualify for Medicaid but not enough for them to be able to afford many of the senior living communities currently available.

Schectman’s numerous awards include the Outstanding Impact Award from the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association. She has presented on the importance of aging in the community at the White House and at conferences across the nation. 
Her efforts are transforming the way people view aging, showing that the goal of “aging in place” is outdated and misguided. Rather than older adults staying home and isolated, Schectman maintains that the goal should be “aging in the right place” with community and support to keep older adults engaged and connected.

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care. The program’s Diamond sponsor is PointClickCare. Silver sponsors include OnShift and PharMerica, and the Bronze sponsor is Reliant Rehabilitation. Table sponsors included Dreamscape, Gojo/Purell and Sound Physicians.