Karen L. Hackman, J.D.

Karen L. Hackman, J.D. is the managing member of our law group. She has been with the firm since 1983 following several years of practice in Harrisburg, and joined Attorney Rudnitsky as a partner in 1986. Karen is personally and professionally committed to lifelong learning and keeping pace with the needs of the clients. The passion for enhancing the quality of life in our community and economic development led to an early and ongoing interest in a practice that today focuses on business and estate planning, asset protection and commercial real estate financing and development.

She is a member of Wealth Counsel, a national association of estate planning attorneys and holds Designated Counsel status from the United States Small Business Administration. Karen’s clients include businesses, individuals and families throughout eight counties in Central and North Central Pennsylvania. As a result of her experience and expertise in small business and commercial areas, Karen was appointed to the Board of the Pennsylvania Capital Alliance, a statewide non-profit corporation engaged in small business lending to encourage job retention and business creation. In 2000, she was honored by Governor Tom Ridge and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development as one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business. She is a frequent speaker at the Small Business Development Center at Bucknell University where her presentations are geared to both start-up and existing businesses.

Karen is an active participant in community activities, having served as an officer and director of the Selinsgrove Area Chamber of Commerce and the Central Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce. Karen held the key leadership role in uniting the Central Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce with the Union County Chamber of Commerce creating the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce.

She has served on the Susquehanna Industrial Development Corporation Board for more than 20 years and in that time has served several terms as an officer. Karen has served for nearly 30 years on the SEDA Foundation and the SEDA-Cog Local Loan Review Committee, has been involved with the United Way and the Snyder County Library Board.  She also served on the Board of Directors of Evangelical Community Hospital from 1998 through 2010 and held the office of Chair for two terms in 2007 and 2008.

Karen has recently been appointed to the Boards of the Susquehanna Valley Estate Planning Council and the Planned Giving Counsel.  In 2014, Karen will enroll in the American College of Financial Services in pursuit of her Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation.

Karen is a graduate of Susquehanna University (Magna Cum Laude) and the Dickinson School of Law in 1981. She served as adjunct faculty at the Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University from 1984 to 2001.

Karen and her husband, international documentary photographer, Leo Mendonca, live in Lewisburg with their two Miniature Schnauzers Razzle and Dazzle.