Elyse Cherry

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, which she co-founded in 1984.[3]

Under Cherry's tenure, BlueHub Capital (formerly Boston Community Capital[4]) has invested more than $1.4 billion in low-income communities.[5]

Of note is BlueHub's foreclosure-prevention program, SUN,[6][7] which Ben Bernanke, then the chairman of the Federal Reserve, cited as “innovative.”[8]

Cherry has served on the boards of directors and trustees of many privately held companies, government agencies, and nonprofits.

The companies include Zipcar,[9] Pilgrim Insurance,[10] Acelero Learning,[11] Selectech,[12] WegoWise,[13] and Eastern Bank.[14]

The agencies include the Massachusetts Cultural Council[15] and the Foreclosure Impacts Task Force,[16] to which she was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.[17]

The nonprofits include the Forsyth Institute,[18] the Opportunity Finance Network,[19] the Center for New Words, and the Alliance for Business Leadership.[20]

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),[3] MassEquality during the organization's successful campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in Massachusetts,[21] the political action committee LPAC,[22] and the Boston Foundation’s Equality Fund.[23] She also co-chaired GLAD’s capital campaign, One Justice Fund,[24] which raised $1.7 million.[25]

Cherry is a 1975 graduate of Wellesley College, where she studied political science and from which she received the 2017 Alumnae Achievement Award.[26] She is also a 1983 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law,[27] where she delivered the student commencement address.[28]

Cherry has received many awards throughout her career.

In 2010, Boston (magazine) named her as one of its 35 Gay Power Players.[29]

In 2014, the Obama White House named her a Solar Champion of Change.[30]

In 2014 and 2015, the Financial Times named her one of the Top 100 OUTstanding LGBTQ Executives in the world.[31][32]

In 2014, the Boston Business Journal named her to its list of the 50 most influential Bostonians.[33]

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.[34]

Cherry is a frequent commentator on current events. Her opinion articles have appeared in publications including the New York Times,[35] CNBC,[36] the Los Angeles Times,[37] the Philadelphia Inquirer,[38] and HuffPost.[39] She has also appeared on TV and radio shows such as the PBS NewsHour[40] and Making Money with Charles Payne.[41]