Assumption Alumna and Adjunct Faculty Member Named to Outstanding Women in Business List

The Worcester Business Journal has announced its annual list of the most accomplished professionals in Central Massachusetts: the 2026 Outstanding Women in Business list. Only 12 women were chosen for this exclusive list out of 83 who were nominated.

This year, two Assumption community members were named to the list: Beth Barto G’00 and Lauren Howe, an adjunct faculty member in the Grenon School of Business.

Beth Barto G’00 is the president and CEO of LUK Inc., a social service agency in Fitchburg, Massachusetts dedicated to improving the lives of youth, families, and adults. She has served as president since 2017. Before then, she served in various high-level roles in the organization, including quality assurance director and director of family networks. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Westfield State University and her master’s degree in clinical counseling psychology from Assumption University.  

Lauren Howe is the principal and founder of empHowered PR, LLC, in Leominster, Mass., and a lecturer in Assumption’s Grenon School of Business. She founded empHowered PR in 2020 and has won several awards for her work. Additionally, Howe served as press attaché for Team USA luge athletes at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics and has worked as communications manager for the USA Luge organization since 2022. She received her associate’s degree in liberal studies from Mount Wachusett Community College, her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and her master’s degree in professional and organizational communication from Regis College.