Featured Corporator
Get to Know Cynthia Deysher
There are a few different “sides” to Cynthia Deysher, a corporator and Concord resident. Her financial side has dominated throughout a career where she has provided accounting and auditing services, overseen manufacturing and handled a couple of initial public offerings (IPO).
“I got into the technology field early, which proved to be a good move,” she says of the 1983 transition that took her from Arthur Young and Company to Prime Computer. “I started working with engineers, but from the financial perspective.”
After serving as chief financial officer (CFO) at Bytex Corporation, Ms. Deysher moved to Shiva Corporation, where she managed the computer networking firm’s IPO in 1994. Her next position, at ArrowPoint Communications, drew on those same skills; ArrowPoint was acquired by Cisco Systems in 2000.
“When you take a company public, you need to be sure the organization is on stable ground, and you need to grow it,” she explains. “This requires a sustainable strategy, the right executive team, a good customer base and a solid revenue stream.”
Despite all her success in the financial world, Ms. Deysher has an artistic side. During the past decade, she has focused that on providing interior design services. “I launched Deysher Advisory Services in 2001 as an umbrella to handle the things I’m interested in, including investing and interior design,” she explains. “Serving as CFO, I built several facilities and was involved with interior design work on the client side. I enjoy project management and working with contractors.”
Ms. Deysher also is a partner with CommonAngels, a large Boston-based seed-stage investment group. She helps evaluate technology startups.
A philanthropic side that benefits Emerson
It is Ms. Deysher’s philanthropic side that benefits Emerson. She serves as the vice chair of the board of directors of Emerson Health Care Foundation, and she worked on the hospital’s last four fundraising galas, including serving as co-chair of “Oh Baby!” and “Rays of Light” and chairing the sponsorship subcommittee for each.
She and her husband, Bryon, have a track record of generously supporting Emerson. “We believe in giving back,” says Ms. Deysher. “It comes from our faith and our recognition that we’ve been very fortunate in life.” Last year, they opened their home for a wine-tasting event that showcased the Bethke Cancer Center and its new linear accelerator. Ms. Deysher is a member of the cancer center’s fundraising committee, which is working to secure $4 million as part of the important capital initiative.
“People need to continually hear what Emerson has to offer,” she says, “especially the affiliation with Massachusetts General Hospital. I think Chris Schuster does a great job communicating that.”
As someone who is active in fundraising for her two alma maters—University of Rhode Island, where she is on the President’s Council, and Bentley University, where she serves as a trustee—Ms. Deysher is impressed with the level of support shown by Emerson’s community. “The hospital has a strong base, compared to other community hospitals, including in the surrounding towns.”
Ms. Deysher says that she and her family enjoy good health but depend on Emerson. “My husband and I have each had surgery at Emerson, and we’ve used the Emergency Department,” she says. “I’m grateful to know that the hospital is five minutes away.”
As a seasoned business professional, Ms. Deysher understands the financial challenges associated with operating a hospital, including the changes coming with national healthcare reform. “We all want to keep Emerson thriving,” she says. “The hospital needs our philanthropic support and our volunteerism.”