One reason Julia has been able to deliver those results is her ability to use the relationships she has built as a parent activist, community and business leader  and elected School Board member to bring incredibly diverse people and interests together, finding common ground to fix big problems. Julia understands how to make government work for us, with experience at the federal, state, and local levels.  She was a Senior Director at NIKE, where she built local partnerships to better support essential public services, such as schools, libraries, parks and public safety. And for nine years, Julia has served on the Portland Public School Board, helping the school district successfully navigate deep financial crises, the pandemic recovery, and rebuilding our schools so that students have safer, healthier learning environments. Here are just a few of Julia’s accomplishments:

• Was a leader in delivering historic funding for our schools by working with labor leaders and legislators to pass the Student Success Act.  The measure provides more than a billion dollars a year of investments in Oregon schools for smaller class sizes, more hands on Career and Technical Education, more counselors, and social and emotional supports. The Student Success Act also provides  millions of dollars every year directly to Portland and East County schools.

• Co-led efforts to manufacture more than 300,000 units of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), which was desperately needed at local  hospitals at the start of the pandemic to protect local health workers.

• Community leader supporting the founding of the Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion Program and a founding member of the Oregon Vietnam Economic, Education and Cultural Association, which focuses on expanding ties between Oregon and Vietnam and small and medium businesses and cultural relationships – especially in East Portland. 

• Worked with Multnomah County Health officials and education leaders to reopen our schools safely and get students back in classrooms; supported additional academic and social emotional supports and summer school for students most in need after schools reopened.  Committed to continued targeted help for students still needing additional support.  

• Provided statewide leadership to pass a measure to ensure equitable access so all students statewide can participate in Outdoor School. 

• Co-wrote PPS’s nationally recognized Climate Crisis Response Policy with a zero-carbon goal by 2040 with resources and supports focused on frontline communities and those most impacted by climate change and severe weather patterns.  

• Helped secure employment non-discrimination legislation for LGBTQ Oregonians and led state and national business efforts to support marriage equality legislation, including leading business coalitions that submitted amicus briefs in support of marriage equality in Oregon courts and with the US Supreme Court.   

• With public health officials, elected leaders and firefighters, launched and operated a mobile vaccine clinic that administered more than 50,000 community vaccines.

• Was a champion and lead for investing in health, safety, and security improvements at schools across East Portland, as well as leading efforts to commit $33 Million to make schools fully accessible to all our students and families. 

• Re-opened two modernized schools in East Portland, including Franklin High School and building a new Kellogg Middle School.  Julia also led efforts to provide students in under-resourced East Portland K-8 schools with expanded enrichment opportunities and more rigorous academic offerings and to re-open middle schools in underserved areas of East Portland.

Julia’s deep connections to the community can be seen in the support she has earned for her campaign, from three Oregon Governors, state and local elected and community leaders, local small businesses, parents, seniors and organizations representing working families.