Help promote free expression, support digital inclusion and empower creativityin the community
Julie is an activist at heart. She pursued her passion for community-based media and digital equity through a 37-year professional career in policy and program development. She’s thrilled to continue that journey by serving on the MetroEast Board.
Julie’s interest in community-based media was sparked while attending the University of Montana Journalism School, where she helped sow the seeds of a community media center in Missoula. After graduation in 1984, she moved to Washington, DC, and worked for the Alliance for Community Media, a national membership and advocacy nonprofit with members throughout the US and Canada. Her passion deepened as she worked with members and saw the opportunities provided by local nonprofit media centers for people and communities who didn’t have a voice in main stream media.
Julie followed her desire to be back “west” and landed a job in Portland where she worked for the next 33 years as a policy and program manager for the Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission. Julie designed and directed several public benefit programs that granted over $5 million annually to nonprofits, schools, libraries, and public agencies for community-based technology projects. She also was instrumental in developing community benefit agreements in cable franchise agreements to support local access to media and internet technologies for traditionally underserved communities.
Julie retired from her job in 2021 but her passion for community media didn’t diminish. She joyfully reconnected to her passion by joining the MetroEast Board in 2022.
