Judy Parks

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Judy Parks, Finance Manager, has over 25 years of progressive management and financial experience in the nonprofit sector including CFO of an independent elementary school in Los Gatos, CA, and Director of Fiscal Operations of a private college in Belmont, CA.  Judy relocated to Penn Valley to enjoy the beauty and pace of the Sierra Foothills, and is excited to share her skills and talents with The Sierra Fund in order to educate and better our region.  Judy has worked with The Sierra Fund since 2014.

A native of Connecticut, Judy grew up on Long Island Sound, enjoying summers on the beaches, winters on the slopes, springs watching and smelling the trees and flowers bloom and autumns raking leaves. She moved to California in the ‘70s where she became the “Medicare expert” in a hospital business office in Daly City and continued working in the medical field as the Business Manager of a private psychiatric hospital in Belmont before she began her career in the education field. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. However, she credits her nonprofit accounting education to the excellent auditors and other mentors whom she has worked with over the years.

Judy and her husband, Bob Blackburn (a retired SF fireman), fell in love with the Sierra Foothills over 15 years ago when they discovered the Yuba River. Since then, they have spent every summer vacation in Nevada City, enjoying the quaintness of the town, the wonderful restaurants and shops, but mostly, their days floating on the river and hanging out on the rocks at Edward’s Crossing.

When not crunching numbers, Judy enjoys home remodeling, decorating, treasure hunting, playing golf, pinochle, pedro and attending as many of the fabulous, local, performing arts events as possible. The joy of her life, however, is spending time with her grandchildren, Will and Emmy, especially their summer days together on the South Yuba River.