Judy S. Conner

Judy was born in Toppenish, Washington and raised on a small orchard and cattle ranch within the Yakima Indian Reservation. There were lots of chores on the farm to share, but Judy aspired to drive the tractor during harvest or to participate in the cattle roundup. Her father didn't feel that it was appropriate for a girl to herd cattle, but at 15 he consented to endure her "driving the tractor during harvest" goal. That lasted about two days until her father discovered serious damage to two mature trees and a "small" dent in his pickup (don't ask). She was banished to the sorting line which consisted of 2 people and 3 apple boxes. Her first paycheck was $12.

She graduated in the top 10% of her class of 37 at White Swan High School and traveled to Central Washington University on a home economics scholarship.
In an attempt to improve her grade point and find some male students, Judy changed her major in the middle of her first quarter to pre-law...oh sorry, Business Administration. There she met her future husband, Irv.
She passed the Certified Public Accountant exam in 1968 and received her BA in 1969. She carries the handle of being the first woman to graduate from Central to have passed the CPA exam.

After their marriage in 1969 and a short employment period in Moses Lake, Irv was transferred to Wenatchee and, as a dutiful wife, Judy followed. When she moved to Wenatchee, there were no other women CPA's in town. She recalls, "It was a joy to see the profession grow to embrace women as the majority of people entering the profession."
Currently, her practice is concentrated in the area of Tax, with an emphasis in estate and trust taxation.

She earned a certificate of Educational Achievement, Certified Specialist on Estate Planning in 1999. She enjoys the many opportunities to speak to groups regarding the topic of estate planning.

Through many business name changes, Judy has worked for the same CPA firm since the beginning of her career. Cordell, Neher and Company PLLC is one of the largest CPA firms in North Central Washington, with offices in Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Waterville. Judy, a principal in the firm, says,"It is a privilege to work with the team we have assembled. as well as the valuable firm alumni that continue to work and serve in this community."

Judy has served her profession as:

• Member of the American Institute of CPAs.
• State Board member and PAC Committee of the Washington Society of CPAs.
• Past president of Wenatchee Chapter of the Washington Society of CPAs.
• Past president of the Estate Planning Council of North Central Washington.

She has served her community on the boards of:

• Wenatchee Valley College Foundation.
• The Guild House.
• The Junior Wenatchee Hospital Guild.
• Grace Lutheran Church Council.
• United Way.
• Wenatchee Rotary Foundation.
• Judy joined Wenatchee Rotary in 1987, served as club president in 1994-95 and has served Rotary District 5060 as District Treasurer with two years on the Finance Committee.
• The international convention in Judy's year was in Taipei, Taiwan.
  She recalls, "It was an unforgetable experience. Although Taipei has a long way to go to enter the environmental and technological levels that we have grown to expect in metropolitan cities, it hosted one of the largest attended conventions in the history of Rotary International."
• Judy is a Paul Harris Fellow and a Paul Scea Fellow.

Irv and Judy share four godchildren (all girls) and make a very comfortable home for an eleven-year-old Springer Spaniel (K.C.) who seems to find her way, most evenings, to a comfortable spot on the bed between them.

When Judy is not tagging along on fly-fishing trips with her husband, she enjoys entertaining on the deck of their home and has a new passion involving the creation of paper art.

Back to List of Member Profiles