Veterans Serving Veterans: Henry Och Becomes Lt Colonel

Henry Och, chief operating officer at Harbor Care, and member of the Massachusetts National Guard, was recently promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He formally received his promotion in a ceremony at Hanscom Air Force Base in which his brother and wife pinned his new rank insignia on his shoulders.   

“The board and staff of Harbor Care are tremendously proud of Henry’s achievement,” states Peter Kelleher, Harbor Care’s president and CEO. “Lieutenant Colonel is a distinctive rank and Henry’s promotion demonstrates the leadership he brings to his respective roles. Henry’s service to both his country, and to some of the most vulnerable members of our own community, are quite honorable achievements.”  

As Harbor Care’s Chief Operations Officer (COO), Henry overseeing several directors and more than 10 program models delivered across several sites. He leads a continuous quality improvement process throughout Harbor Care’s program and service areas, focusing on process improvement and promoting ongoing opportunities for all staff to give feedback on program operations.   

Henry has led the Harbor Care’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the crisis. From his first days at Harbor Care, he has targeted efforts to end chronic homelessness in greater Nashua, as well as played a key role in Harbor Care’s initiative to end veteran homelessness across NH. The organization, in partnership with the greater Nashua Continuum of Care, effectively ended veteran homelessness in greater Nashua in 2017, and is now moving toward ending veteran homelessness throughout the state. 

Henry has over 20 years' experience in non-profit healthcare; prior to Harbor Care he served as Chief Operations Officer/Chief Information Officer at Lowell Community Health Service. From 2010 to 2014 he also served as Adjunct Professor at the University of Massachusetts where he instructed graduate students in Health Informatics and Health Management.  

While deployed with the Massachusetts National Guard, Henry served as operations officer at ISAF Headquarters in Afghanistan in 2014, where he was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. He also served as Infantry Platoon Leader in the 182nd Infantry Regiment in Kosovo. In this capacity he received the Army Commendation Medal for human trafficking interdiction alongside the Kosovo Police Services. 

Henry looks forward to continuing to serve all the residents of New Hampshire in his capacity as COO of Harbor Care, and will work toward the day when we can announce an end to veteran homelessness in our state.

For more information on veterans’ services at Harbor Care, please visit VeteransFirst. If you’d like to find out more about our Veterans Appreciation Month campaign, please click the button below.