Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, May 2021

Trudy Parks: The Financial Wiz Who was Always

Focused on People

Trudy Parks grew up on a

dairy farm in Oregon. She
was introduced to hard
work early in life and she
was raised to be
independent in her thinking
and approach to life. She
was also taught strong
values that embraced
others. As a result, she
had remarkable people
skills - she always took
time to listen to people and
she valued interpersonal
connections.

In 1978, Trudy completed a

bachelor’s degree in Social
Work from the University of
Victoria. Shortly after
graduating from UVic Trudy
reconsidered her career
options and decided to
explore accountancy. She
was hired by KPMG Accounting where she began working towards a
Chartered Accountant designation. Trudy was required to complete
several prerequisite courses which resulted in her attending Camosun
College where she took courses in math and economics. It was as an
adult that she discovered that she loved math!

In the early 1980s, Trudy was part of a KPMG audit team who were hired
by Camosun. When Trudy became aware of a junior accountant job
opening at the college, she applied and started working at the college in
the mid-1980s. In a relatively short time, she was promoted to a senior
accounting position and, eventually, she became Vice President of Finance
and Bursar.
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, May 2021

Trudy came to the college at a time of transition. Previously, every

financial entry was made manually and changed manually. Trudy brought
very good computer skills to her job. She was adept at using spreadsheets
which allowed changes to be made quickly and accurately. Under her
leadership, the Finance department was soon computerized resulting in
quicker and more accurate data analysis. Trudy also worked to give staff
confidence in the budget process, helping them understand and manage
their own budgets.

Trudy worked at Camosun for fifteen years. She loved her job and, in
particular, the people with whom she worked. She was an excellent
problem-solver, whether it involved parking issues, improving IT services,
seeing new buildings constructed or making life better for the janitorial
staff. For Trudy, it was always about the people.

A special thanks to Trudy’s husband, Ray

Parks, for his assistance with this article.