What does it really take to lead a values-driven nonprofit at scale—without losing your mission, your independence, or your sanity? In this episode, I sit down with Elyse Cherry, CEO of BlueHub Capital, to talk about long-term leadership, mission discipline, community-centered finance, and how great leaders keep asking better questions as their organizations grow.

Episode Highlights

02:21 – How global travel shaped Elyse's leadership worldview

07:58 – Staying true to mission and values over decades

14:15 – Navigating financial partnerships without losing independence

19:49 – What systems change really looks like in practice

31:15 – Why nonprofit leaders must "look around the corner."

My guest for this episode is Elyse Cherry.

Elyse Cherry is the CEO of BlueHub Capital, where she has led the organization since 1997. Under her leadership, BlueHub has invested more than $3.2 billion to support affordable housing, health centers, schools, clean energy, foreclosure prevention, and community wealth-building initiatives nationwide. She is also President of Managed Assets at Boston Community Venture Fund, Aura Mortgage Advisors, and NSP Residential.

A former partner at WilmerHale, Elyse is an attorney with deep experience in real estate finance and community development. She is an active civic leader, serving on the boards of Wellesley College, Eastern Bank, and The Boston Foundation, and has been widely recognized for her leadership, including honors from the White House, the Boston Business Journal, and the Financial Times.

Connect with Elyse:

Website: https://bluehubcapital.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bluehubcapital

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluehubcapital/

X: https://twitter.com/BlueHubCapital

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