Berkshire earns highest rating in 2025 Corporate Equality Index

BOSTON, Jan. 7, 2025 — Berkshire Bank is honored to have earned the highest possible rating on the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.

Berkshire joins 765 U.S. businesses that received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a distinction that earned them the HCRF’s Equality 100 Award as leaders in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.

The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria under four central pillars:

  • Non-discrimination policies across business entities;
  • Equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families;
  • Supporting an inclusive culture; and
  • Corporate social responsibility.

“We’re grateful to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for the work it does to promote LGBTQ+ workplace equality,” said Gary Levante, chief sustainability and communications officer at Berkshire Bank. “In addition to shining a spotlight on the importance of equity, the work also helps ensure that companies can attract top talent, drive performance and support clients of all backgrounds, including those from the LGBTQ+ community.”

“This recognition underscores Berkshire’s unwavering dedication to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment for our employees, customers and the communities we serve,” said Chad Stier, co-chair of Berkshire’s Pride Employee Resource Group and vice president and business development administrator at 44 Business Capital, Berkshire’s direct small business lending division.

In its inaugural year in 2002, the CEI included 319 participants. This year it surveys 1,449 participants and a record-breaking 98 percent of CEI businesses have nondiscrimination protections specific to gender identity.

RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, SHRM-CP, senior director of workplace equality at HRCF, said: “The CEI is so much more than a score on paper. For decades businesses have relied on the CEI as a tool for transparency and leveling the playing field for all workers, making sure LGBTQ+ people and their families can share in fair, respectful and supportive workplaces and benefits.”

The full report is available at www.hrc.org/cei.

About Berkshire Bank
Berkshire Bank is a relationship-driven, community-focused bank that delivers industry-leading financial expertise to clients in New England and New York and is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB), headquartered in Boston. With $11.6 billion in assets and 83 financial centers, the Bank provides a full suite of tailored banking solutions through its Commercial Banking, Retail Banking, Consumer Lending, Private Banking and Wealth Management divisions. For more than 175 years, Berkshire has delivered strength, stability and trusted advice to empower the financial potential of its clients and communities. Newsweek named Berkshire one of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America and one of America’s Best Regional Banks. To learn more, visit BerkshireBank.com and follow Berkshire on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About Human Rights Campaign Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public’s understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and, with the firm belief that we are stronger working together, it forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase our impact and shape the future of our work.

Media Contact: 
Alison Skratt, Corporate Commmunications
[email protected]
413.769.6007