Hebrew SeniorLife Names Melissa Tearney as Chair of its Board of Directors
Long-time Volunteer has Served on Governance, Development, and Audit Committees
BOSTON - Hebrew SeniorLife, the largest provider of senior health care and senior living communities in New England and an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, today named Melissa Bayer Tearney of Cambridge as Chair of the organization’s Board of Directors. Tearney has been a volunteer leader at Hebrew SeniorLife for more than 25 years, including joining the Board in 2008 and serving in such roles as Board Secretary, Chair of the Governance and Conflicts Committees, and member of the Campaign Steering, Development, Audit, and Compliance Committees.
“We welcome Melissa as our new Chair of the Board,” said Lou Woolf, President and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife. “Melissa’s passion for Hebrew SeniorLife, coupled with her leadership and consultative experience in industry and government, pair well with Hebrew SeniorLife’s mission and how the senior care field is evolving as we gradually leave the pandemic behind. We appreciate her years of dedication to Hebrew SeniorLife and look forward to working with her in her new role.”
Added Tearney, “I am both honored and proud to take on the role of Board Chair. Innovation, quality, and safety are hallmarks of Hebrew SeniorLife, and I look forward to helping the organization continue to deliver upon these characteristics in the coming years.”
Tearney steps into the Board Chair role that was held for three years by Jeffrey D. Drucker, who has been a volunteer leader at Hebrew SeniorLife for 21 years.
“On behalf of all of us at Hebrew SeniorLife, I want to thank Jeff for his tireless service as Board Chair and his significant contributions to our organization, and those patients, residents, and families we serve,” said Woolf. “And we look forward to his ongoing support serving as an active member of our board and chairing our Governance Committee.”
Tearney is a Partner in the Government Enforcement & Compliance Practice Group at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP, an international law office based in Boston. As Co-Chair of Choate’s Litigation Department, Tearney was named a “Top Woman of Law” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, and a “2016 Woman of Influence” by the Boston Business Journal. She has also made the list of Super Lawyers in Massachusetts, an annual ranking of outstanding lawyers nominated through peer recognition and achievement. She has also been listed in Best Lawyers in America and in Chambers USA.
With 30 years of experience, Tearney helps clients ranging from start-ups to global companies navigate investigations and the development and implementation of effective compliance measures and programs. Tearney earned her bachelor’s and law degrees from Harvard University. Tearney’s husband, Gary Tearney, M.D., Ph.D., is also a volunteer leader at Hebrew SeniorLife and serves as the Chair of the Ventures Committee and Vice Chair of the Research Committee.
Other Hebrew SeniorLife Board News
Board Member Jay Webber has been named Board Vice Chair. A volunteer leader with Hebrew SeniorLife for 30 years, Webber currently serves on the Finance Committee, and previously served as the Board Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair. Webber is a Managing Director at the accounting firm CBIZ & MHM New England, where he works with clients in the manufacturing, wholesale/distribution, retail, and real estate industries.
Andrew Glincher is a Hebrew SeniorLife Chair for Life and will serve as the Installing Officer. He has been involved with Hebrew SeniorLife for more than three decades, including as past Chair of the Board and the current Chair of the Trustee Relations Committee.
About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Based in Boston, Hebrew SeniorLife serves more than 3,000 residents and patients daily through its senior living and health care sites around Greater Boston and impacts countless others through its teaching and research in the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit https://hebrewseniorlife.org and follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
