Cambridge, MA—Elyse D. Cherry, Chief Executive Officer of BlueHub Capital, was elected Chair of the Board of the Forsyth Institute, the only independent research institute in America specializing in oral health and its impact on overall wellness.
Cherry takes over the Chair position for Peter Nessen, a long-time supporter of Forsyth and President of Corporate Realty Investment Company, LLC. Nessen served as Chairman of the Board for nine years.
“I’ve known Elyse for many years and have had the opportunity to work with her on several boards. I am delighted she has accepted the role of Board Chair of the Forsyth Institute.” Nessen said. “She’s the right person at the right time.”
“We are thrilled to have Elyse take on this leadership role given her long-time commitment to Forsyth,” said Forsyth Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer Wenyuan Shi, “Her vision and creativity will help us expand on our legacy as a world leader in oral health research and continue our mission of improving oral and overall health through research, innovation, and care.”
“The Forsyth Institute has been at the vanguard of oral health and disease prevention for over a century. I am honored and delighted to accept the role as Chair of the Board as we create new strategic approaches to fund groundbreaking scientific research,” Cherry said. “I am delighted to have the ongoing partnership of Peter Nessen as Chair Emeritus. Peter’s leadership has been invaluable for furthering the track record of Forsyth’s unique and transformative contributions to communities around the world.”
Cherry has served since 1997 as the CEO of BlueHub Capital, a community finance institution that has made more than $2 billion in investments in underserved communities since its founding in 1984. Under Cherry’s leadership, BlueHub has grown from its Boston roots into an organization with national reach, becoming a model for community investment in the United States.
An active civic and business leader, Cherry is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Eastern Bank and the Board of Directors of the Boston Foundation. She has served on the boards of directors of more than a dozen privately held companies, including Zipcar. She is a past chair of the Massachusetts Cultural Council; served as a member of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s statewide transition team; and chaired the board of Mass Equality during that organization’s historic fight for marriage equality in the Commonwealth.
Cherry is an attorney and a former partner at the law firm of Hale and Dorr, now Wilmer Hale. She began her career as a VISTA volunteer in rural Tennessee. A graduate of Wellesley College and the Northeastern University Law School, she received Wellesley’s Alumnae Achievement Award in 2017.
