Judy McDonald was an active member of the Nacogdoches community for several years in the 1980s and 1990s. She and her husband, Archie McDonald, moved to Nacogdoches in 1964 when he became a professor at Stephen F. Austin State University. She became active in the PTA, and served as Raquet and Carpenter School PTA president; as president of the citywide PTA council; and as a member of the National PTA Legislative Committee. Over several years, she has been active in many organizations, including the Stone Fort Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, American Cancer Society, the Red Cross, the Samaritan Center, and Project Imagine. She also served as a vice president of the Deep East Texas council of Governments. Judy also served 18 years on the Nacogdoches City Commission, and also as Mayor of Nacogdoches from 1987-1995. She served as a regional member of the Governor’s committee of HUD Block Grants and as a member of the Advisory Committee for State Treasurer Ann Richard’s Management. She was a director of the Texas association of Elected Women, a member of the Steering Committee for Greater Health Systems Association, and of the Advisory Board for the Nacogdoches County Women’s Shelter. She served as a member, president, and drive chairman of the United Way.