JUDITH E. CAMPBELL '69
“Judy Campbell is a perfect example of what a Chestnut Hill graduate can achieve with a liberal arts education. With a bachelor of arts degree in history, she has risen to a level of prominence in the financial services industry. Her critical-thinking skills, analytic ability, breadth and thirst for knowledge, all developed at Chestnut Hill, have served her well in today’s cutting- edge field of information technology.”
With that thoughtful rationale, Patricia Canning ’70, nominated Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of New York Life Insurance Company, Judith E. Campbell ’69, for the Chestnut Hill College Alumnae/i Association Distinguished Achievement Award. Soon after graduating in 1969, Judy married and devoted her talent and time to rearing a family in Madison, New Jersey while “dabbling in real estate on the side” as she humbly described her first career. In actuality, she was a member of the Million Dollar Club, an enviable level of achievement in the real estate business. Like many of her generation, Judy was an activist in politics and was elected a Democratic committeeperson in her community and belonged to the League of Women Voters.
In the early 1980s, Judy entered the banking business when she took a human resources position at Chemical Bank in New York City. During her 12 years there, she rose through the corporate ranks in retail banking, operations, and management. By the time she left Chemical Bank in 1992, she was the senior vice president of consumer sales and head of operations for their consumer banking business. During her days at Chemical Bank, Judy also successfully completed the Business Management Program at Harvard University.
By 1996, Judy had moved to PNC Bank as its senior vice president of consumer banking. With that title also came the responsibility for the information technology strategy for their entire retail banking business. The technology revolution was well underway in corporate America and Judy was ahead of the wave. In the words of Alan Silberstein, who recruited Judy to PNC, “to be successful, Judy had to learn a lot about the bank’s computer capabilities, and about new technology. She impressed our chairman so, that she was asked to take on the responsibility of head of operations and technology for the entire bank.”
Soon, Judy’s mastery of information technology was noticed by another chairman – this one at New York Life Insurance Company, a Fortune 100 company with millions of policyholders, as well as thousands of agents and employees around the globe. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of New York Life, Sy Sternberg hired Judy in 1997 as the company’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, reporting directly to him. About her, Mr. Sternberg wrote, “since joining New York Life, Judy has proved to be an exceptional chief information officer, demonstrating great management, organizational, and technical skills. She has developed an outstanding reputation in both the insurance and computer industry…and now heads an organization of over 1,100 employees and is responsible for the development of all our company’s information systems.” Judy has also had a major impact on the culture of both the IT department and the entire company. For example, she has played a very active role in the development of the Women’s Leadership Program at New York Life. Her excellent communications skills have paved the way for her to often serve as a spokesperson for the company throughout the insurance industry.
One might think that a woman who achieves such prominence in business would not have the time for family life but that’s certainly not true when it comes to Judy. Her friend, Alan Silberstein said of Judy, “what is all the more impressive about her is that she achieved all this while raising and supporting an extended family and without losing her kindness or her caring for the needs of the people around her.” Her friend and colleague, Eileen Slevin, senior vice president and chief operating officer, also shares that view and wrote of Judy, “she has been a key proponent of balancing work with life outside the office, and she practices what she preaches. She remains very dedicated to her family and maintains active interests in reading, history, and genealogy, among other pursuits.”
Those “other pursuits” include community involvement and in 1995, the Rolling Hills, New Jersey Girl Scout Council honored Judy as a “Woman of Achievement” for funding the Kathryn Stanley Scholars Program at Drew University. This program provides funds for a deserving student to spend a semester abroad to study French.
Since 1993, Judy has been an active member of the Drew University community and was elected to its Board of Trustees in 2000. Two years ago, she was elected to the Chestnut Hill College Board of Directors, coming full circle to her alma mater.
Mark Morin, general manager of IBM Corporation, described Judy as a “humanitarian with values of high integrity, compassion, and understanding with a wonderful balance of strong determination and empathy. These qualities, blended with a wonderful sense of humor, make her not only a friend but also a mentor. Not a mentor in the business sense, but a mentor for how to live a life of principles, giving, and caring.”
Judy Campbell is a shining example of the liberal arts graduate who has brought honor to Chestnut Hill College. We proudly award her the Chestnut Hill College Alumnae/i Association Distinguished Achievement Award.
