Meet our Steering Committee: Judy Abdo

Judy Abdo is a founding member of Climate Action Santa Monica. However, Judy Abdo’s experience and accomplishments show her wide reaching commitment to the Santa Monica community and to the region.

A Santa Monica City Council member from 1988 to 1996, Judy Abdo served three years as the Mayor. She retired as the Director of Child Development Services for the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District in 2012. Currently, she is Vice Chair of the First 5 LA Commission. She is a member of the Santa Monica Early Education and Childcare Task Force Steering Committee and is a member of the Committee for Excellent Public Schools Steering Committee in Santa Monica. She taught kindergarten and primary grades for 13 years.

She earned a B.A. degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara and has done graduate work in Human Development at Pacific Oaks College.  She holds a lifetime Early Childhood Credential.  She attended Hollywood High School, Le Conte Jr High, and elementary school at Warren Lane in Inglewood.

She has served on the Metropolitan Water District Board for 25 years, representing the City of Santa Monica. She is also currently a member of the Steering Committee of Climate Action Santa Monica. She was a founding member of Santa Monica Forward, and is chair of the Electric Vehicle subcommittee of the Santa Monica Environmental Task Force.  Finally, she has served on the Board of the Ocean Park Association for almost 8 years.

Previously, Abdo was the Assistant Director of the Norton Family Office and Peter Norton Family Foundation.  She also served four years as a Council Deputy for the City of West Hollywood.  She served as Executive Director of the nonprofit Ocean Park Community Organization.  She was the Administrator of the Church in Ocean Park for 37 years.

She was a founder of Sojourn Shelter for battered women and children, a founder of the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corp, a former Board Member of the Neighborhood Support Center, and of the Santa Monica AIDS Project. She was a member of the Ocean Park Community Center Board of Directors for 19 years.  She was a long-time member of the Steering Committee of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights. Finally, she served as Chair of the Urban Forest Task Force.

Judy’s favorite climate action: reducing water usage.