Unsung Heroine Award: Attorney Laura Mann

Editor's Note: the following was released Monday by the office of state Rep. John Fernandes (D-Milford).

Rep. John V. Fernandes, D-Milford, joined Laura Mann and her family today at a recognition ceremony at the State House, which was sponsored by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. Rep. Fernandes proudly nominated Laura based upon her extensive and decades-long humanitarian and community service aimed at improving the lives of so many people across the region. In total, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women celebrated 83 Unsung Heroines of 2013. These women come from cities and towns across the Commonwealth and each will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to their organizations and communities in a ceremony on Monday, April 29, 2013 from 1-4 p.m., in the Great Hall at the State House in Boston. The ceremony included a program hosted by Liz Brunner acknowledging each of the 83 Unsung Heroines of 2013, followed by a group photograph and a Just Desserts reception.

Fernandes' nomination statement follows:

I am very honored to nominate Laura Mann as an Unsung Heroine of Massachusetts for 2013.

Laura Mann has been self-employed as an attorney since 1987. She maintains her law office in Milford, Massachusetts with a specialty in complex real estate matters, commercial and residential. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Brandeis University, and is a graduate of New England Law School. She resides in Milford with her husband Marc, and their two daughters, Rachel and Esther, both college students.

Ms. Mann has a long history of service to her community. She served for 18 years as a member of the Milford Zoning Board of Appeals, including serving as Chairman of the Board, where her real estate expertise was invaluable. She also served for 11 years as a member and chairperson of the Milford Industrial Development Commission, charged with the task of promoting and developing the industrial resources of the town of Milford.

Outside of government, Ms. Mann has been a leader in the business community.  She has been very active in the Milford Area Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Board of Directors and as the chairperson of that organization. As a member of the Chamber, Ms. Mann helped establish and lead the “CWL, Connecting Women Leaders” group. The group’s mission is to provide women a place to meet, develop business relationships and share experiences. She also helped establish the Metrowest Women’s Alliance in the early 1980s. The mission of the organization is “to bring women and girls of various backgrounds together to foster leadership and philanthropic efforts by engaging, educating and providing resources for empowerment.”

Ms. Mann serves on the Board of Directors of New Hope Inc., a non-profit human service agency that assists women in crisis. The agency provides emergency shelter and housing, offers education and retraining opportunities, and supplies educational and enrichment programs to homeless and low-income children. 

Ms. Mann also served as President of the Milford Bar Association in the early 1990s, during which time she initiated and continues to today, to coordinate a monthly “Lawyer of the Day” at Milford District Court. The program provides, at no charge, a licensed attorney to answer basic questions about the law and assist the public in completing court forms. As an attorney, Ms. Mann  served for 25 years as the attorney advisor to a mock trial program team at the Bellingham High School as a part of the state wide program run by the Massachusetts Bar Association. That program provides area and statewide high school students with simulated court room preparation and proceedings on a currently provocative legal issue. 

Ms. Mann also serves as a trustee for the Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation, an organization adjunct to the Milford Regional Medical Center, one of the top 100 community hospitals in the nation. The foundation assists in the significant community fundraising efforts that have helped sustain and expand the hospital services.

Ms. Mann has been active for many years with the Tikun Olam (‘Repair the World’) Committee of Temple Beth Torah in Holliston, and for the past five years, she has organized a coalition of area Temple members who prepare and serve a monthly Community Supper to those in need, through an affiliation with the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Milford. She also currently serves as President of Temple Beth Torah in Holliston, a congregation of 180 families, and is always ready to assist in numerous other charitable, religious and community service projects in the greater Milford area.

The Unsung Heroines are women who don’t always make the news, but truly make the difference. They are the women who use their time, talent and enthusiasm to enrich the lives of others and make a difference in their neighborhoods, cities and towns. They are mentors, volunteers and innovators who do what needs to be done without expectations of recognition or gratitude. These women are the glue that keeps a community together and every community has them.   

This event is made possible with the support of the following community sponsors: Cape Air, Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College, Casner & Edwards, LLP, Continental Resources Inc., Day Pitney LLP, and the members of MetroWest ATHENA Women.  The Commission’s annual Unsung Heroine initiative is underwritten by these private sponsors and the MCSW Trust Fund and no tax dollars are used to fund this event.

The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women is an independent state agency that was legislatively created in 1998 to advance women of the Commonwealth to full equality in all areas of life and to promote their rights and opportunities. The MCSW provides a permanent, effective voice for the women of Massachusetts.