Judy Rifkin (She/Her) was born and raised in Birmingham, Michigan. At the age of 16, she was recruited to move to New York City, where she began her career as a professional ballerina at The American Ballet Theater. When her professional ballet career came to end, she returned to the Midwest where she got married and raised two wonderful children, Josh and Rachel. While she raised her children in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Judy was thoroughly involved in community outreach and fundraising with the town’s synagogue, school system, and various parent-run organizations.

Judy became involved with The Alliance after her daughter, Rachel, confessed her struggles with an eating disorder in college. After meeting Johanna, connecting her daughter with proper treatment, and seeing the recovery process; she learned how much she related to her daughter’s struggles. Judy remained connected with The Alliance as Rachel maintained full recovery and interned with The Alliance. Judy now spends the majority of her time living in Jupiter, Florida with her husband, and continuing her passion with helping spread eating disorders awareness.