Judy Belk ’75

Health and wellness foundation president and CEO

As president and CEO, Judy Belk leads The California Wellness Foundation (Cal Wellness), one of California’s largest public health philanthropic institutions. Cal Wellness awards approximately $43 million annually in grants and program-related investments that promote health equity, justice, and advocacy for Californians whose well-being is too often determined by their race, income, immigration status, or where they live. During Belk’s tenure, Cal Wellness has continued to be a leader in promoting violence prevention as a public health issue and funding gun violence prevention efforts.

Prior to joining Cal Wellness in 2014, Belk served as senior vice president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a global nonprofit founded by the Rockefeller family, and as vice president of global public affairs at Levi Strauss & Co. Under her leadership, the company was awarded the first Ron Brown Award for Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility for its fight against institutional racism.

A prolific writer and speaker on organizational ethics, race, and social change, Belk has been published in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio (NPR) in addition to other news outlets. A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Belk was inducted in the Alexandria African American Hall of Fame in recognition of her writing and public service leadership.

Belk currently serves on the boards of the Surdna Foundation, a national New York-based family foundation, and Hedgebrook, a women’s writing retreat that promotes women’s voices and social change. She also is a member of the Northwestern University Council of One Hundred and the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association.

Belk received a BS in communication from Northwestern and an MA in public administration from California State University, East Bay. She and her husband, Roger A. Peeks ’74, met as students at Northwestern. They have two children, Ryan and Casey.