Meet The 2026 Good Apple Award Honoree: Laura Peabody
Lasting change depends on people willing to put their expertise to work in service of others. This year, we at Massachusetts Appleseed are proud to honor Laura S. Peabody, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Mass General Brigham, with the 2026 Good Apple Award for a career that demonstrates how thoughtful and mission-driven leadership can help institutions navigate complex challenges while keeping the needs of people and communities at the center.
For more than three decades, Laura has built a career around a principle Massachusetts Appleseed knows well: the law can help shape stronger, more responsive systems for the communities they serve.
As Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Mass General Brigham (MGB), Laura provides legal and strategic counsel across Massachusetts’ largest and most complex health care systems. She leads a team whose work touches patient care, regulatory compliance, employment, government investigations, research, and other issues with profound consequences for patients and their families. She also oversees MGB’s Government Affairs team, helping the organization navigate and shape policies that affect healthcare throughout Massachusetts.
That combination of law, public policy, and service closely reflects Massachusetts Appleseed’s own approach to advancing justice. Whether someone is trying to understand their rights in a hospital, school, courtroom, or government agency, complex systems can create significant barriers, especially for those already experiencing instability or inequity. Laura’s career demonstrates the important role lawyers can play in helping institutions navigate those systems while remaining focused on the people they serve.
Laura has carried her commitment to public service beyond her professional roles, serving on the boards of UNICEF, the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Women’s Bar Foundation, and the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain. Across health care, law, philanthropy, and community service, her leadership reflects a belief that institutions have both the opportunity and responsibility to improve the lives of the people they serve.
We hope you will join us on October 29th as we recognize Laura with the 2026 Good Apple Award and celebrate her distinguished career, commitment to public service, and belief in the power of the law to make institutions and communities stronger.
Good Apple Awards Reception
Thursday, October 29, 2026, from 6:00–8:00 PM
Winthrop Center in Boston
Get your tickets at: massappleseed.org/goodapple
Learn about sponsorship opportunities and benefits at: massappleseed.org/goodapple
