Sara Judson

Sara McLeod Judson has served as the CEO of the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana for over a decade. During her leadership the Foundation has connected people who care with causes that matter including managing over $7m in relief and recovery contributions after Hurricanes Laura and Delta devastated SWLA in 2020. She and her team are facilitating the implementation of the Just Imagine SWLA 50 Year Resilience Master Plan that was made possible by a philanthropic gift of $2.5 million to help build a more resilient region.

The collaborative effort and fast pace of implementation of some of the 11 catalytic projects led to it being one of five international recipients of the Charter Award by the Congress for the New Urbanism in 2024. Locally, Visit Lake Charles honored Sara with the 2023 Shelley Johnson Leadership Award for her work on the Just Imagine plan and its early implementation.

As a 4th generation citizen of Lake Charles, she enjoys continuing the family tradition of serving her community which includes facilitating the Leadership SWLA program with the Chamber SWLA, serving as a sustaining advisor with the Junior League of Lake Charles and as a board member of the historic Orange Grove/Graceland Cemetery.