It is an honor for the Winona Community Foundation to award Judy Davis with the 2025 Founders Award on Tuesday, October 14th from 4 to 6 p.m. at Riverport Conference & Event Center Winona, MN. Each year, the award honors an individual or group in our community who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to improving life in Winona through the use of their time, talent, and treasure. Community members are invited to attend this free event but need to RSVP by October 3rd. There will be light appetizers served. Use our link below to RSVP or call the office at 507-454-6511. 

Judy Davis’s story starts in 1976, when she and her husband, Dr. Bill Davis, moved to Winona for his general practice physician position at Winona Health. It was the beginning of a lifelong journey rooted in service, learning, and giving back.

A graduate of Luther College, Judy began her teaching career in the Twin Cities. After relocating to Winona, she continued her passion for education at St. Stanislaus School and later within the Winona Area Public Schools working with elementary and middle school students. Her dedication to her students led her to pursue advanced degrees in education and administration from Winona State University. With those credentials, she stepped into leadership roles, eventually serving as a principal in several schools across the district until her retirement in 2011.

In retirement, Judy’s commitment to education has never waned. She joined the staff at Winona State University, where she continues to supervise and mentor student teachers, shaping the next generation of educators with the same care and wisdom that defined her own career.

Judy’s contributions to Winona extend far beyond education. She has been a tireless volunteer and leader across numerous organizations. More recently those organizations include Central Lutheran Church, Winona Health, the Winona Community Foundation, the Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, the Beethoven Festival, the Fish and Float Program, the Ruskin Study Club, and PEO Chapter CS. She has served on her church council and nonprofit boards, always bringing her insight, warmth, and dedication to every endeavor.

Judy’s inspiration to serve her community runs deep. She often reflects on the quiet strength and generosity of her parents, who lived through the Great Depression yet always found ways to help others—especially family. Active in their church and local schools, they modeled a life of purpose and compassion. Her late husband Bill, a gentle and generous man, shared those values. His legacy lives on not only in the lives he touched as a physician, but also in the Winona Health Simulation Lab—a project Judy helped bring to life in his memory with a generous gift. With the support of the Winona Health Foundation, her donation helped establish a space that blends teaching and technology, two of Bill’s greatest passions. Since its inception, the lab has trained countless healthcare professionals, enhancing patient care and emergency services throughout the region.

Despite her many accomplishments, Judy remains humble. “I have had tremendous role models,” she says. “Working with individuals who embrace what is needed in the Winona community has been an ongoing learning experience.” She believes she has gained more from her community than she has given, a sentiment that speaks volumes about her character.

In her spare time, Judy finds joy in the simple pleasures of life—spending time with family and friends, walking, and riding her recumbent bike.

“I am truly honored,” she says, “to live among a community of givers. Winona offers so much—education, outdoor beauty, excellent medical care, and a spirit of philanthropy that binds us together. I’m just one of many working to make it a compassionate and caring place.”

Help us celebrate Judy Davis at the 2025 Founders Event on Tuesday, October 14^th. An RSVP is required by October 3rd. Link to RSVP form below.

Founders Event

Honoring Judy Davis

The annual Founders Award recognizes individuals who:

Each year, the individual selected to receive the award has the opportunity to grant $5,000 dollars from the Founders Endowment Fund of the Winona Community Foundation to the charity of their choice.

The Winona Community Foundation is a catalyst for igniting generosity and building the vibrant and enduring place we call home. The Foundation exists to support and build our community. We work with donors, nonprofits and professional advisors to meet immediate and long-term community needs through giving and granting. Our team of professionals are deeply familiar with the short-term, mid-term, and long-term needs of our community, as well as the nonprofits that are working to address those needs.

The Winona Community Foundation offers a range of charitable options and funds for individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits to accomplish their philanthropic goals. As your trusted partner, resource, and steward for community philanthropy, the Foundation is committed to helping every individual give back in a way that is both meaningful to them and the causes they care about.

We strive to support and improve our community. We believe philanthropy has the power to transform lives and shape the future of our community and world. And, we believe everyone has the potential and capacity to be a philanthropist. With that as our guiding principle, we work to help people of all means improve our community and world – today and in the future.

The Founders Award originated from the Founders Fund. This fund was  created in 2003 to honor all of the individuals who planted the seed for the start of the Winona Community Foundation in the 1980s. This endowed fund awards dollars to local non-profit chosen in the name of an individual or organization that clearly touched community life for all time. Past recipients of this award include: