Judy’s running for Madison County Commissioner because she believes it’s time for a change in our county’s governing body. She will bring fresh ideas, more opportunities for public input and the addition of a woman's perspective to the current board. Those who know Judy would describe her as “a champion for the environment and the natural beauty of our mountains; for families, especially women, children and the elderly; for community health and our public schools; for our hard-working county employees; for our young adults who need affordable housing and good paying jobs; and for the many local nonprofits that serve our financially-challenged neighbors.” She understands that growth is inevitable, but that it must also be thoughtfully managed.
Raised on her family's generations-old farm in rural Illinois, Judy has called the Forks of Ivy community her home since 1978. In those early years, she worked as a health educator throughout the county with the Hot Springs Health Program and the Madison County Health Department and taught health classes in all our schools. She is a former high school teacher, Peace Corps volunteer, Public Health worker, doula (birth companion) and founder of WNC's only non-profit, midwife-staffed birth center, a service that welcomed over 1,030 babies to the world. Since 2008, she has also been a competitive rower, winning 15 regional and national medals, including 5 gold!
Judy is an experienced leader and consensus-builder, committed to being a "Voice for All" and serving all the communities in our county. In fact, public service has been, and will always be, a driving force in her life. She welcomes this next challenge of serving as one of our Commissioners and looks forward to meeting you and enlisting your support in her travels around the county between now and November.
Judy was recently featured by Lucy Carrigan on her Substack, Dispatches (Worlds Apart, Living Right Next Door).
