Elyse Cherry, AWA ’01

It’s day two of our 20-day series looking back at two decades of the Academy of Women Achievers! Today’s featured alumna is Elyse Cherry, President and CEO of Boston Community Capital and AWA Class of 2001.

Elyse is a national leader in community investment and blending business with civic values to move beyond the single bottom line. Under her leadership since 1997, Boston Community Capital (BCC) has invested nearly $1 billion in projects that provide affordable housing, jobs, and new opportunities in the Boston area. In the years following the Great Recession, BCC has helped more than 450 families repurchase their homes at market-based rates, cutting hundreds of dollars off of their monthly mortgage payments and stabilizing neighborhoods.

A lawyer by training, Elyse’s community involvement includes years of service on the board of GLAD. She also served as chair of MassEquality at the time the Massachusetts legislature made its historic determination on gay marriage.

Listen to a Huffington Post interview with Elyse on her experience at Boston Community Capital and commitment to LGBT civil rights.