Staff: Gina Judd

Gina Judd, LCPC, has been serving children personally and professionally since adulthood. During her early college years, she studied to become a teacher and used her knowledge in a volunteer capacity as one of a small band of parents who wrote the charter, obtained funding, and led the establishment and early Governing Board for the Pocatello Community Charter School, one of Idaho’s first charter schools, now in its 23rd year of operation.

After establishing the school, Gina changed her educational direction and completed a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in counseling. She worked for many years helping children heal from the trauma of sexual abuse at Bright Tomorrows, a Child Advocacy Center. From there, she and her husband established a private counseling service where they pioneered neurofeedback services for mental wellness in Idaho, and then she became a Clinician for Children’s Mental Health within the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Division of Behavioral Health. In this role, she rapidly rose to leadership positions as a YES Program Specialist and then a Wraparound Program Supervisor, where she was instrumental in implementing Wraparound Care Coordination service programs across the State.
Gina and her husband of 33 years have raised five children and served for nine years as therapeutic foster parents, eventually adopting one of their foster children. They also opened their home for seven years to 13 international ESL students and remain in frequent contact with these honorary family members. They currently are enjoying developing newer roles as grandparents to three active and inquisitive grandchildren. Gina is very active in her community and has served for many years as the director of her congregation’s children’s chorus.

Gina’s role as Executive Director of Friends of the Children Eastern Idaho Chapter allows her to put into practice her passion for improving the lives of children and their families and magnifies her belief that the best way to change the world is one person and one interaction at a time.