Early Life and Education
Judy Faulkner was born on August 11, 1943, in the Erlton neighborhood of Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Her parents, Louis and Del Greenfield, instilled in her an early interest in healthcare; her father was a pharmacist, and her mother was the director of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. She graduated from Moorestown Friends School in 1961. Faulkner received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Dickinson College and a master's degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Rise to Success
Faulkner founded Epic Systems (originally Human Services Computing) in 1979 with a $70,000 investment from friends and family. The company has never taken venture capital or private equity, remaining privately held. Epic Systems has become the largest electronic health records vendor by market share, supporting the medical records of over 305 million patients. The company's revenue reached $5.7 billion in 2024. Epic has never acquired another company and focuses on in-house software development.
Key Business Strategies
Epic's success is attributed to its integrated suite of healthcare applications built on a single codebase and database, which allows seamless data sharing across departments and facilities. Faulkner has rejected outside investors, prioritizing control over rapid expansion, which has allowed Epic to grow organically. The company maintains near 100% customer retention in a market where switching vendors is common. Epic generates revenue through large upfront implementation fees and annual per-user licensing fees.
Philanthropy
Faulkner is committed to philanthropy and signed The Giving Pledge in 2015, committing 99% of her assets to philanthropy. In 2019, Judy and Gordon founded the Roots & Wings Foundation, which supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-income children and families. The foundation has distributed substantial amounts in grants, with plans to increase giving to $100 million annually by 2027. In 2024, the foundation distributed $67 million to 305 organizations.
