A native Californian, Virdette received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from U.C. Berkeley and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern California. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA in neuropsychology, she was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the faculty of the USC/Keck School of Medicine as a clinical and research neuropsychologist until moving to the Monterey Peninsula 2008. She has been an active member of the medical staff of the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula as a clinical neuropsychologist since 2010. Virdette has a lifelong love of wildlife and interest in habitat restoration, species preservation, and protection of the California coast. She served on the board of directors of Ventana Wildlife Society for 12 years. She is a member of the Sierra Club and has served as a volunteer for the SPCA of Monterey County Wildlife Center. Virdette and her husband, Dr. Robertson Parkman, reside in Pebble Beach. She joined the Point Lobos Foundation Board in 2024.