Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold sm

Girls Inc.: Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold.

It's good to be a girl in this world today. I like being a girl because I can speak for myself. I can stand up for myself. Being a girl makes me strong.  

Mytha, 6 

President and CEO

Judy Vredenburgh

Judy Vredenburgh brings a lifelong passion for social justice and for supporting vulnerable girls and young women to her role as President and CEO of Girls Incorporated. Girls Inc. is the leading nonprofit provider of research-based programs focused on preparing girls from at-risk communities for lives of educational achievement and economic independence.


Vredenburgh began her career in the retail industry, rising to Executive Vice President of Sizes Unlimited/Lerner Woman and CEO of Chess King, a division of the Melville Corporation. She created opportunities for advancement for female executives and mentored women in business, both professionally and as a volunteer coach.


Her personal commitment to advancing the social good led Vredenburgh to the nonprofit sector. In her six-year tenure as the Senior Vice President of Revenue Development and Marketing at the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, she led revenue growth from $121 million to $181 million.


As President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the evidence-based mentoring organization for disadvantaged youth, Vredenburgh led unprecedented growth. Between 1999 and 2009, the organization more than doubled the number of children it served annually, from 118,000 to 255,000, with commensurate revenue growth from $171 million to $290 million.


Vredenburgh’s innovative leadership and track record of success have garnered broad recognition. She served on President Obama’s Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Advisory Council and was a member of the University of Pennsylvania Board of Overseers and on the Board of Directors of Independent Sector.


Vredenburgh holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the State University of New York, Buffalo. She holds honorary degrees from Lynchburg College and Philadelphia University.


Among her many accomplishments and honors, Vredenburgh considers it a special privilege to have had the opportunity to serve as a Big Sister to Sherice Holliman.