Judson Green
June 27, 1952 - September 1, 2020
A respected businessman and accomplished jazz pianist, Judson Green’s passions established him as an advocate for the performing arts. As a member of the class of 1974 and Rector Scholar, Green majored in economics with a minor in music composition. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He then attained his MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.
Green’s illustrious career goes on to include nearly 20 years with The Walt Disney Company with 10 of those as President of Walt Disney Theme Parks and Resorts. Prior to that, Judson served as the Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company. Under his leadership, Disney revenues doubled to $6 billion and in 1999, Disney properties experienced record attendance. In 2000, he took over as President and CEO of NAVTEQ Corporation, a NYSE company until its sale to Nokia in 2008.
The recipient of multiple awards, Green was honored with the highest alumni award from both of his alma maters, DePauw University’s Old Gold Goblet in 2011 and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business’s Distinguished Corporate Alumni Award in 2008. Additionally, he was awarded a Distinguished Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America and as a recipient and national finalist in Ernst & Young’s entrepreneur of the Year Award for Technology.
Green was a trustee of the DePauw University Board of Trustees and a past chairman (2002-2004). Green’s economic insight served the corporate boards of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., Harley Davidson, Inc., Aon Corporation and Alticor Corporation. His philanthropic efforts included involvement on numerous nonprofit boards, including Conservation International, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and The Field Museum of Chicago.
Joyce Taglauer Green
A member of the class of 1975, Green received her B.A. in Musical Performance, specializing in piano. She was a member of the DePauw Symphony and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Today, Green serves DePauw in multiple capacities, including as the former chair of the Washington C. DePauw Society Executive Committee from 2000 to 2005. Green shared her passion for music as a pre-school music teacher, developing a “Music for Kids” program. In the support of the arts, Green is a former president of the Friends Board for the Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando, Florida and she serves on the board of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Together, the Greens have sponsored Yo-Yo Ma as the Creative Consultant of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 2009.
In 2006, the Judson and Joyce Green Center for the Performing Arts at DePauw University was established. The Greens provided the lead gift toward the $29 million expansion and renovation of the Performing Arts Center, which would include a 20,000 square foot addition. The new center was dedicated on October 25, 2007. And in 2013, the Green’s $15 million gift established the 21st Century Musician Initiative (21CM), a re-imagining of conventional music school curriculum to embrace the music industry of today with an emphasis on community engagement, audience development, business skills, and entrepreneurship.
