Henry J. Och

Harbor Care has named Henry J. Och its new president and chief executive officer, taking over for Peter Kelleher, who is retiring on Oct. 31.

Och, has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit healthcare, most recently as chief operations officer of Harbor Care. Previously, Och served as chief of operations and chief information officer at the Lowell Community Health Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 2010 to 2014, he also served as adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts, where he instructed graduate students in health informatics and project management.

Och is a commissioned infantry officer in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, where he currently holds the rank of lieutenant colonel. He served as an operations officer at ISAF Headquarters in Afghanistan in 2014, for which he was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Och also served in Kosovo, where he worked with the Kosovo Police Services to identify and stop human trafficking operations.

Och completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell with a concentration in management information systems. He has a master’s degree from the Harvard University Extension School and a master’s degree in business administration with a healthcare management concentration from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. He is pursuing his doctorate in leadership psychology from William James College in Newton, Massachusetts. Och has received several awards and recognitions for his leadership and achievements, including national recognition by the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, the National Association of Community Health Centers and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.

In addition, Och volunteers his time and expertise as a member of several nonprofit boards focused on the well-being of children and families, youth support, mentorship and empowerment and social and economic justice. Henry is also an avid long-distance runner and has completed over 30 full marathons, including 10 Boston Marathons.