2008-2009 Campaign

The United Way of Douglas County is pleased to announce that Judy Wright of Lawrence will be the 2008-2009 Campaign Chair for this year’s annual fund raising campaign. 

As Campaign Chair, Wright will be involved with key strategic planning for the United Way of Douglas County campaign, selecting Campaign Cabinet members to assist with the duties of organizing the county-wide fall fund-raiser, and acting as United Way representative at major campaign events.

Wright is currently serving her second term on the United Way Board of Directors.  Through her career and volunteer activities, she serves the community of Lawrence and Douglas County with a steadfast commitment to excellence.  She holds the position of Assistant Vice President and Director of The Chancellors Club of KU Endowment, and serves the University of Kansas by administering KU’s premier giving organization and by chairing a KU Endowment Steering Committee which facilitates the initiative, Women Philanthropists for KU.  She holds a B.A. and M.A. from Baylor University in Theatre and Speech and a PhD from the University of Kansas in Communication Studies.

Wright is an Athena Award recipient, an award which recognizes women who have excelled in their field and served as mentors for women. She has also received the Don Volker Leadership Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award given by Leadership Lawrence, as well as the Lawrence Public Schools Outstanding Citizen Award. Wright, along with Judge Deanell Tacha and Sally Hoglund, KU Alumna, were selected for the KU Women of Distinction Calendar 2006-07 for their work with Women Philanthropists for KU.  She is a founding member of the Fairy Godmother Fund and past conference chair for CASE District VI (Counsel for Advancement in Support of Education) ,serving on the eight-state District VI Board of Directors. In addition to her current service on the United Way Board, she serves as Vice President on the newly established Haskell Endowment Assn. Board of Directors.

Wright describes her feelings about the United Way:  “Since my first stint on the United Way Board in the mid 90’s, I’ve always been in awe of the service that the United Way of Douglas County achieves and a little intimidated by the challenges faced by the organization as it so aptly and intelligently serves our community. The United Way strives to investigate and initiate new collaborations among agencies providing services. The Board of Directors, volunteers who represent a broad spectrum of the community, is continually educated and encouraged to investigate new ways to direct the organization’s efforts.

Living in Lawrence, it is easy to become insular in our own world of family, activities, and work, not realizing the many needs and challenges of our fellow community members. But Lawrence is a blessed community because we do have so many individuals who are willing to give their time, talent, and treasure to help make our town a better place for all our citizens to live and to be productive.

So please join me in this collaborative effort to participate in the 2008 campaign which supports 25 human service agencies. As we strive for continuous growth, know that our enthusiasm for serving our community is only outweighed by the good that it creates.”