A seasoned leader in youth advocacy, Julia brings over two decades of experience in management, policy, litigation, campaigns and collaborative research.

Before joining Youth Represent, Julia was the Director of Youth Justice and Child Welfare at the Children’s Defense Fund-New York, working at the intersection of well-being and racial justice for children, youth and families. This included leading the first guaranteed income pilot for young adults who recently left foster care, co-created with young people with lived experience in the child welfare system. She also led the successful campaign to raise the lower age of family court of prosecution in New York, passing one of the most protective laws in the U.S.

Throughout her career, Julia has remained committed to participatory policymaking and partnerships with young people. Her work has included civil rights litigation at Children’s Rights and public health campaigns at KFF. She brings deep expertise in the field, a strong record of cross-sector partnerships, and a commitment to supporting teams to her leadership of Youth Represent.

Julia holds a J.D. from Cardozo School of Law and an A.B. in Biology and Community Health from Brown University. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.