Connecting to Success
Judith Rudge '05.
Judith Rudge ’05 helps forge future leaders by supporting the endowed Joyce A. Bylander Scholarship
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
As a teen, Judith Rudge ’05 thought deeply about what it means to be part of a community that’s truly inclusive. Guided by mentors and her own sense of purpose, she now helps to create a more inclusive work culture. As global director of talent for Nike, she values most her efforts to shape professional environments that encourage the success of candidates and employees from all walks of life.
Rudge grew up in Suriname and immigrated to the U.S. with her family at age 12. She revealed a talent for running at 9 years old, when she won first place in a barefoot race. Eight years later, her creativity came into the spotlight, when she was named finalist for the Providence National Poetry Slam Team—an honor that earned her a spot on New York Public Radio.
In that poem, Rudge described what it felt like to be a Dutch-speaking Black girl, living in a new country, not sure if she truly fit in. At Dickinson, she found a tight-knit community as part of the college’s first New York Posse cohort, and an abundance of support from Professor Emerita Lonna Malmsheimer, then a Posse mentor.
Rudge majored in English and ran for the college’s varsity women’s track team. She served multiple summer internships and deepened her writing skills thanks to close ties with Dickinson faculty.
“Dickinson made me fearless,” she says. “I’m quite literally the product of a good, Dickinson education and faculty who fostered a coaching culture.”
Rudge began her career in college recruitment then moved into corporate talent—first at Verizon, then Comcast, where she advised leadership teams in the New England region on how to attract more women and minority candidates and help them succeed. Last August, she accepted a position as global senior director of talent acquisition, consumer and marketplace at Nike.
“For me, the journey has been full circle,” she says, “because when I was at Dickinson, I had classes with people from all over the world. That experience informed my worldview and helps me relate and connect with a global team.”
Rudge gives back to Dickinson as a Mermaid Society member. When longtime Posse mentor and Dean of Student Life Joyce Bylander retired from Dickinson in 2018, Rudge helped establish the Joyce A. Bylander Scholarship.
“I got through Dickinson because others gave back, and the spirit of giving has become a part of my value system,” Rudge says. “Paying it forward has become part of who I am, and giving to Dickinson makes me feel connected to the success of the next generation, who will lead our companies and country.”
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published October 29, 2020