Board Spotlight: Judy Rudzki
Judy Rudzki has been a member of the Jewish Family Service LA Board of Directors since 2013, serving on the Finance Committee, the Advancing Equity Workgroup, and as a Board member for JFS Care. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Real Estate from California State University, Northridge. Judy is a Director and Senior Treasury Officer with Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
How long have you been with involved with JFS and what/who encouraged you to join?
Judy Rudzki: My parents moved to the US, and Los Angeles, when I was 6 years old. They came with very little, and have had the opportunity to build a family and life in LA. They worked hard to ensure that their children earned advanced degrees and became professionals. I have benefited from my parents’ direction and guidance. I have been involved with JFS since 2007 and joined the Board in 2013. Through JFS, I have the opportunity to help others by ensuring that an organization that provides life-improving services continues to exist.
Why are you drawn to JFS’s work?
Judy Rudzki:JFS focuses on the dignity of individuals in the LA community. Initially, JFS (then the Hebrew Benevolent Society) was intended to assist Jewish members of the small but burgeoning city of LA in its early days. Today, JFS serves everyone in the LA community who otherwise might struggle to navigate life’s challenges alone.
What have you enjoyed most about being a member of the JFS Board of Directors?
Judy Rudzki:I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work with a passionate team at JFS and fellow Board members, as we navigate challenges and recommendations to further expand our role of tikkun olam (Hebrew for “healing the world”) in the LA community. It is truly a rewarding feeling to feel like I have helped to make a difference. It is amazing to see the Board align behind this organization to help all who could use a helping hand.What’s the Margaret Mead quote? “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Why should people support JFS?
Judy Rudzki: JFS addresses the basic needs for members of our LA community. We all have a responsibility to give back to this world, and to work to make our LA community a better place for all. We cannot help everyone, but by taking part, by donating, we lift those around us, and ourselves, along the way.
What’s a fun fact about yourself?
Judy Rudzki: While I am not one for bucket lists, earlier this year my family and I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru to Machu Picchu. It was truly an experience to hike through the Andes, in the rain forest, and then to behold and enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate, from above the plateau.
What do you do in your free time/What are your hobbies?
Judy Rudzki: I am an avid walker and have walked the Avon Breast Cancer Awareness walk, which is 39 miles, 4 years in a row. I love hikes, the beach, yoga, travel and planning my own itinerary, cooking (not baking), reading, and crossword/brain teaser puzzles.
The Rudzki Family’s commitment to their community also includes ongoing leadership roles at The Los Angeles Jewish Home, Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, and active participation with the Southern California chapter of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an American lobbying group that advocates for pro-Israel policies to the Congress of the United States.
