Elyse Cherry CEO of Boston Community Capital
who has earned national recognition for her groundbreaking work
attacking the foreclosure crisis through an innovative combination of
private and public dollars talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of
OUTTAKE VOICES™. Elyse is also an important voice in the LGBT
community serving as the former Chair of MassEquality during the
organization’s successful campaign for marriage equality in
Massachusetts. We talked to Cherry about being one of the few women
r...
Elyse Cherry CEO of Boston Community Capital
who has earned national recognition for her groundbreaking work
attacking the foreclosure crisis through an innovative combination of
private and public dollars talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of
OUTTAKE VOICES™. Elyse is also an important voice in the LGBT
community serving as the former Chair of MassEquality during the
organization’s successful campaign for marriage equality in
Massachusetts. We talked to Cherry about being one of the few women
running a major financial institution and her spin on our LGBT issues.
When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Cherry
stated, “Well that goes back a long way. I served on the GLAD board for
many years, the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders and chaired
MassEquality actually when we got through the legislation in
Massachusetts on civil marriage issues. For many years now it really
focused on organizing the GLBT community on political matters ensuring
that people who were running for office either federal or state are
consistent with our views.” When asked for her reaction to the US
Supreme Court Prop 8 & DOMA Rulings Elyse added, “I was absolutely
delighted. That was such a long struggle and of course we were working
here on among other things, on a business brief that is trying to get
businesses to sign on this issue of how difficult it is to really run
two different human resource undertakings. You have people who are not
treated the same. That is you have people who can either marry and have
the benefits of federal rights or not. I have to say on a more personal
note I was so proud of Mary Bonauto who of course has been at GLAD
forever and Maura Healey from Massachusetts Attorney General Martha
Coakley's office and the wonderful job they did. I went down and
listened to them give their arguments to the First Circuit Court of
Appeals and I couldn’t be more proud about the strength and the
intellect and the character that resides in our community.”
Elyse Cherry as CEO of Boston Community Capital (BCC), has overseen the
investment of over $900 million into low-income communities. Boston
Community Capital is a Community Development Financial Institution
(CDFI) an organization dedicated specifically to using financial tools
to make an impact in its community. With Elyse at the helm, BCC has
increased assets by 3,500% and invested heavily in low-income
communities programs that support housing, childcare and job creation in
sustainable industries. Currently Elyse is also very active in LPAC
(Lesbian Political Action Committee) that backs candidates that support
our LGBT issues.
For More Info: bostoncommunitycapital.org
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