Audrey Peartree

Harris Beach PLLC

Involved with the Community Foundation since 2012


Hobby: Cooking

Favorite Rochester eatery: The Peartree kitchen

Favorite Community Foundation event: An Evening Out At Home

Favorite Rochester event: Rochester International Jazz Festival

If I had a million dollars to give: I'd give it to early childhood education.

How Audrey’s work fuels the power of community:

In a law career spanning more than three decades, Audrey’s resume contains stellar accomplishments, beginning with a stint working in the White House under President Reagan. Today, as a partner in her firm’s Wills, Trusts and Estates Practice division, she counsels clients on the transition of assets both during life and at death. “Each step encompasses the truest sense of counseling.”

Having changed her legal focus from litigation early in her career, she is dedicated to the one-on-one aspect of her work. “It’s about making people feel comfortable and confident in making tough decisions,” says Audrey. Some of those decisions are made easier through charitable giving tools, particularly those at the Community Foundation. “Often clients don’t know where to begin the process,” she admits. For these clients, Audrey explains the advantage of using the Foundation’s resources as a way to eliminate the heavy lift of setting up philanthropic planning.

Charitable involvement in Rochester:

A native of Connecticut, Audrey settled in her husband’s hometown knowing it was the ideal place to raise a family. She also found Rochester to be a vibrant community that nurtures professional and volunteer connections. Her involvement in the Foundation’s Professional Advisors Liaison Committee and Board of Directors has expanded her network. “It’s been an unbelievable asset to my practice and to my sense of purpose,” says Audrey.

Audrey points to events like the Foundation’s annual gala — An Evening Out At Home, where participants dine in small groups at homes of Foundation supporters — as an example of how Rochester truly unites its citizens. “It’s that family feel of connecting with someone across a dinner table,” says Audrey. She believes strong connections have enhanced her involvement on the boards of several organizations, including Our Lady of Mercy High School, St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry, and Camp Stella Maris.

Inspirational quote:
“From what we get we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” – Arthur Ashe

Published July 2020


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