Judy Belk

Judy Belk, Senior Advisor, specializes in philanthropy, nonprofit management, strategic planning, executive coaching, and board governance.  Judy has held senior executive leadership positions in the government, corporate, and philanthropic sectors. Most recently, Judy served for nine years as the President and CEO of The California Wellness Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic institutions in California with assets over $1 billion.

Prior to Cal Wellness, she served as Senior Vice President for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Vice President of global public affairs for Levi Strauss & Co.

Judy is a published writer and speaks frequently on leadership and social change. Her op/ed essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and other national media outlets. She has been recognized as one of the nation’s 50 most influential nonprofit leaders by “The Nonprofit Times” and inducted in the Alexandria, Virginia African American Hall of Fame. She currently serves as a faculty member for the Georgetown University Philanthropy Executive Certificate Program.

Judy has served on the board of trustees of Surdna Foundation, a $1 billion national family foundation; the Ms. Foundation for Women; the Independent Sector; and the National Center for Family Philanthropy. She currently serves on the board of Hedgebrook, the SCAN Foundation, and Sonen Investments.

Judy received a BS in communications from Northwestern University, where she was honored with the “2021 Alumni Medal,” and a MA in public administration from California State University, East Bay, where she has been recognized as the ” Distinguished Alumnus of the Year”.