Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

10/19/06

NEWS RELEASE
Auburn School District's Board of Directors
to Honor Staff Member Pat Judd

The Auburn School District board of directors will recognize Pat Judd, administrative assistant to the associate superintendent, for her outstanding service to the Auburn School District on Monday, October 23, at 7 p.m. in the board room at the James P. Fugate Administration Building.

Pat Judd is starting her twenty-first year in the Auburn School District—17 of those years as the administrative assistant to the associate superintendent—yet you wouldn’t know it. Her energy is boundless and her enthusiasm just as contagious today as it was the day she first started.

Pat enjoys herself on the job, particularly the customer service aspect. “The nature of my job is people-oriented. I’m constantly meeting new people and learning from them. I really get my energy from working with others,” says Pat. And vice versa. It appears that those who work with Pat—whether she is scheduling their rental of a district facility or creating an invoice for their business needs—also walk away more energized from the experience. Pat is a gifted listener and problem-solver. “I am grateful for my gift of listening. It has really helped me connect to people who haven’t felt heard,” states Pat.

Pat may be in a supportive role, but she is also a quiet leader. Through her strong work ethic and positive attitude, Pat leads by example, which is one of the reasons Superintendent Cowan asked Pat to represent the Auburn School District on the Auburn Downtown Association board of directors. Pat serves as secretary on the executive board, keeping record of the meetings, as well as planning marketing events like the Santa Parade and Veterans Day Parade to persuade prospective business owners to open up shop in Auburn. Pat feels that her experience in the Puget Sound Leadership Institute in 2004 is where she gained the confidence to speak up for herself and others. “I never really considered myself a leader or in a leadership role until the institute,” says Pat. Pat is also on the planning committee for Uniquely Auburn—an annual event showcasing local performers, speakers and artists.

Despite a full-time work schedule and various volunteer activities, Pat maintains an active social life—staying in touch with friends at Bunco night, book club night, and dinner-and-a-movie nights. She also makes time for her family, especially her two children, Joshua and Malia. Joshua is currently serving in the California Army National Guard in Afghanistan. Pat highly anticipates his homecoming next March. Malia works part-time for the school district, just a few cubicles away from her mother. Pat can always count on Malia for a shopping excursion or just a day of relaxing. “I guess being a people person also makes me a family person. I can honestly say that my children are also my closest friends,” reflects Pat.

With all of life’s ups and downs, Pat’s smile and good spirits never fade. She is a trouper and would probably have made a superb grade school teacher, which is a profession she thinks she might’ve pursued if she had had the opportunity to afford college. She also dreamed of being a French interpreter for the United Nations—a dream that started in high school French class. “I may not be a French interpreter,” chuckles Pat, “but I still love watching French movies.”

Pat’s childhood dreams went unfulfilled in some ways, but not in others. She may not work for the UN, but she does impact the lives of people in her community, continually sowing seeds of encouragement, lending helping hands and offering unlimited smiles.

For more information contact Amy Spence, public information officer, at (253) 931-4713.