Lucy Prashker Named 51st Annual Woman of Achievement
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Business and Professional Women organization has named Lucy Prashker, managing partner at Cain Hibbard & Myers, Counselors at Law, as this year's Woman of Achievement.
For 51 years, Berkshire BPW has been honoring a local woman for her achievements and commitment to the community with the "Woman of Achievement" award every fall. Past recipients include such outstanding community leaders as Dr. Ellen Kennedy of Berkshire Community College, Ruth Blodgett of Berkshire Health Systems, Laurie Norton-Moffat of Norman Rockwell Museum and Tina Packer of Shakespeare & Company.
Prashker will be recognized at a dinner event celebrating National Women in Business Week, on Monday, Oct. 19, at the Country Club of Pittsfield. Kristine Hazzard, president and CEO of Berkshire United Way, will emcee the ceremony.
"I am amazed and inspired by all that Lucy is able to accomplish in her professional life and through her community support," said Donna Collins, chairwoman of the Woman of Achievement Committee. "Lucy has positively impacted the lives of countless individuals in Berkshire County through the organizations with which she is so personally involved. I look forward to hearing more about her accomplishments as she accepts our award."
Prashker was nominated by both Hazzard and Debra Blatt, founder of Group Restorations. In the nomination, they wrote that she is "the epitome of a committed and effective community volunteer."
"She gives of her time, talent and treasure. Her logical approach to a problem and her intelligence and professionalism engender her passion for making anything she does of the highest quality with great integrity, whether serving clients or the community," they wrote. "She's innovative, thoughtful and compassionate, and is very committed to social justice. She recognizes that literacy and education are the path out of poverty and has taken on the challenge of increasing access to the resources people throughout Berkshire County need to succeed."
Prashker is very active in the Southern Berkshire community. She has served for more than 20 years as town counsel to the town of Alford, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She is president and chairperson of the board of directors of the Literacy Network of South Berkshire. She is also a member of the board of Berkshire Priorities (an organization of community leaders working to connect stakeholders to improve educational and economic opportunities throughout Berkshire County), the Early Childhood Literacy Council of Berkshire United Way, Berkshire Hills Fund for Excellence (an educational enrichment fund that supports the Berkshire Regional School District), and the Education Committee of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
In addition, she's a member of BUW's Greylock Society of leadership donors and professionally, as a partner at Cain Hibbard & Meyers, has helped develop their philanthropic commitment to education; Cain Hibbard & Meyers also conducts a BUW annual employee campaign and was named a Pinnacle company in 2015.
Professionally, Prashker is the managing partner of Cain Hibbard & Meyers and chairwoman of its health law, and its intellectual property, technology and Internet law groups. She represents businesses and individuals on a wide variety of business and intellectual property issues. She is also a litigator, handling complex commercial cases in both state and federal courts in both Massachusetts and New York. Much of her practice is devoted to advising clients in the fields of health law and nonprofit law. Her clients include artists and writers, manufacturers, emerging technology companies, nonprofit organizations, and health care providers.
Jennifer Dowley, CEO of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, said Prashker has helped the organization "navigate through some very complicated and challenging waters" in her more than 10 years as legal counsel.
"She is wickedly smart and brings a clarity of insight that has been invaluable in all areas of her advice," Dowley said. "She sees the architecture of a situation that allows a path for resolution to be clearly seen. She always looks for positive outcomes that are humane and keep the big picture in mind."
Tickets to the Oct. 19 dinner are $50; money raised at the event will go toward BBPW's scholarship fund for Berkshire County women who are going to school to try to further their careers. Individuals and businesses are also encouraged to sponsor a full scholarship in Prashker's honor for $500. Reservations for the dinner are required by Oct. 2; seating is limited. For more information, contact Collins at dcollinsbpw@gmail.com or 413-236-4811.
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