Judy Wilson, who was formerly Assistant City Manager in Pasadena and went on to serve the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission and LA Metro, will be speaking at the open-to-the-public Pasadena Rotary Club weekly meeting Wednesday, Aug. 3.
An avid reader, Wilson has also been a member of the Pasadena Festival of Women Authors Committee since its inception. She will speak on the topic of “Running a Book Festival for Both Readers and Authors” and how a grassroots fundraiser for a local nonprofit became one of the largest and most prestigious book festivals on the West Coast.
The Pasadena Festival of Women Authors (PFWA) has become a bellwether for the October-November awards season for the literary scene. PFWA names their authors in July, only to find them in the ranks of National Book Award, Pulitzer and Man Booker prize winners.
In her talk, Judy Wilson will offer a behind the scenes look at running the PFWA. She will discuss the history, philanthropy, and author selection process for the Festival, including some of the unique challenges they faced in the time of COVID-19.
Wilson has been a resident of Pasadena since 1980 when she assumed the position of Pasadena’s Assistant City Manager. She served in that capacity for 10 years before becoming Deputy Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission. She then went on to become Executive Officer for LA Metro and wound up her public sector career as the Director of Sanitation for the City of Los Angeles.
In 2014, she came out of retirement to do a five-year stint as Director of Development for the Pasadena Community Foundation.
Wilson has been an active member of the community, serving as President of the Board for the Pasadena Museum of History, Families Forward and Professional Child Development Associates.
Judy Wilson and husband Randy, both long-time Pasadena residents, established the Randolph and Judith Wilson Endowment with the Pasadena Community Foundation.
Wednesday’s luncheon meeting will be held at the University Club of Pasadena.
To RSVP, call (626) 683-8243 or email office@pasadenarotary.com.
The University Club is at 175 N. Oakland Ave. in Pasadena.