Elyse Cherry | |
|---|---|
 Cherry (right) in 2014 | |
| Born | 1954 (age 69–70) |
| Alma mater | Wellesley College Northeastern University School of Law |
| Employer | BlueHub Capital |
Elyse Cherry (born 1954) is the chief executive of BlueHub Capital, a community development financial institution. She is known for her work in community development, affordable housing, and LGBTQ activism.
Cherry began her career as a VISTA volunteer in Tennessee. She spent the next several years as a field examiner in the New England region of the National Labor Relations Board. [1]
After earning a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, she joined the law firm of Hale and Dorr (now WilmerHale). For eight years, she focused on commercial real-estate finance and development, for which she was named a partner. [2] : 114
In 1992, Cherry joined the Plymouth Rock family of insurance companies, where she served as a vice president and counsel of SRB, an investment-management subsidiary of Plymouth Rock Assurance. [1]
In 1997, she became the CEO of BlueHub Capital, [3] which she co-founded in 1984. [4]
Under Cherry's tenure, BlueHub Capital (formerly Boston Community Capital [5] ) has invested more than $2 billion in low-income communities. [6]
Of note is BlueHub's foreclosure-prevention program, SUN, [7] [8] which Ben Bernanke, then the chairman of the Federal Reserve, cited as “innovative.” [9]
Cherry is a member of the Wellesley College Board of Trustees, [10] the Board of Advisors of Eastern Bank, [11] Chair of the Board of the Forsyth Institute, [12] and the Board of Directors of The Boston Foundation. [13]
Cherry is a former or present member of several privately held company boards, including include Zipcar,[ citation needed ] Pilgrim Insurance, [14] Acelero Learning, [15] Selectech, [16] and WegoWise,. [17]
For government agencies, Cherry was the Chair of the Massachusetts Cultural Council [18] and the Foreclosure Impacts Task Force, [19] to which she was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. [20]
She previously served on the boards of the nonprofits Opportunity Finance Network, [21] the Center for New Words, and the Alliance for Business Leadership. [22]
Cherry is a prominent LGBTQ activist. She has served on the boards of directors and advisory boards of various groups, including GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), [4] MassEquality during the organization's successful campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, [23] the political action committee LPAC, [24] and the Boston Foundation’s Equality Fund. [25] She also co-chaired GLAD’s capital campaign, One Justice Fund, [26] which raised $1.7 million. [27]
Cherry is a 1975 graduate of Wellesley College, where she studied political science and from which she received the 2017 Alumnae Achievement Award. [28] She is also a 1983 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, [29] where she delivered the student commencement address. [30]
Cherry has received many awards throughout her career.
In 2010, Boston (magazine) named her as one of its 35 Gay Power Players. [31]
In 2014, the Obama White House named her a Solar Champion of Change. [32]
In 2014 and 2015, the Financial Times named her one of the Top 100 OUTstanding LGBTQ Executives in the world. [33] [34]
In 2014, the Boston Business Journal named her to its list of the 50 most influential Bostonians. [35]
In 2014, Fenway Health gave her the Dr. Susan M. Love Award, which celebrates a woman and/or organization that has made a significant contribution to the field of women’s health. [36]
In 2021, BlueHub Capital, under Cherry's leadership, was named one of the Top 100 Women Led Businesses in Massachusetts by The Boston Globe and The Commonwealth Institute for the eighth consecutive year. [37]
Cherry is a frequent commentator on current events. Her opinion articles have appeared in publications including the New York Times, [38] CNBC, [39] the Los Angeles Times, [40] the Philadelphia Inquirer, [41] and HuffPost. [42] She has also appeared on TV and radio shows such as the PBS NewsHour [43] and Making Money with Charles Payne. [44]
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