Judith R. Faulkner | |
---|---|
Born | August 11, 1943 |
Nationality | American |
Other names | Judy Faulkner |
Alma mater | Dickinson College University of Wisconsin–Madison |
Occupation | Healthcare software entrepreneur |
Organization | Epic Systems |
Political party | Democratic[1] |
Spouse | Gordon Faulkner |
Children | 3 |
Judith R. Faulkner (born August 11, 1943) is an American billionaire businesswoman who is the CEO and founder of Epic Systems, a healthcare software company located in Verona, Wisconsin.[2] Faulkner founded Epic Systems in 1979, with the original name of Human Services Computing.[3] In 2013, Forbes called her "the most powerful woman in healthcare",[4] and on their 2020 list of the world's billionaires she was ranked 836th with a net worth of US$5.5 billion.[5]
Faulkner was born in August 1943[6][7] to Louis and Del Greenfield.[8] Faulkner's parents inspired her early interest in healthcare; her father, Louis, was a pharmacist, and her mother, Del, was the director of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility.[8] She was raised in the Erlton neighborhood of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and graduated from Moorestown Friends School in 1961.[9][10] She received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Dickinson College and a master's degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[8]
In 1979, shortly after receiving her master's degree, Faulkner co-founded Human Services Computing, with Dr. John Greist.[8] Human Services Computing, which later became Epic Systems, began in a basement at 2020 University Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin.[8] The company was started with a $70,000 investment from friends and family but has never taken investment from venture capital or private equity and remains a privately held company.[11] In fact, Faulkner prides herself in the fact that Epic is homegrown; they have never acquired another company,[8][12] and Faulkner has stated they will never go public.[13] Epic Systems now holds the medical records of over 300 million people.[14] Faulkner and her family currently own 43 percent of Epic Systems.[15]
Faulkner lives in Madison, Wisconsin.[5][3] She is married to Dr. Gordon Faulkner, a pediatrician.[16] They have three children.[5][16]
In 2015, Faulkner signed The Giving Pledge, committing 99% of her assets to philanthropy.[17] Judy and Gordon founded the Roots & Wings Foundation in 2019. Roots & Wings funds nonprofit organizations that help low-income children and families reach their full potential through prevention, early intervention, and in-depth programming that changes lives.