Julia lives in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, a jewel of a town on the Gulf of Mexico. A native Mississippian, with stops in Memphis, Cambridge, and Denver along the way, Julia has worked in community building and public policy throughout her career.

Julia was part of the first class to graduate from  racially integrated schools in Jackson, MS. That experience helped Julia understand early on how communities can change, and how tough change can be without good leadership. Julia’s academic work in  psychology and religion have helped her understand how values and religious beliefs impact public life.    

In 1995, Julia was hired to lead the Healthy Communities Program at the National Civic League. Julia and her colleagues facilitated community-wide strategic planning processes in cities across the country. Julia honed her facilitation skills and learned how to work with diverse stakeholders and manage public processes, addressing conflicts and creating lasting change.

Julia was elected Alderman at Large in Ocean Springs in 2005. Six weeks later, Hurricane Katrina struck, destroying homes, businesses and public infrastructure across the region. The next four years were a crash course in disaster recovery, community redevelopment, housing policy, and many other issues.

Unfortunately, another disaster struck the region in 2010 – the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Shortly after the well was capped, Julia joined the team at the national Land Trust Alliance to develop the Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation (Gulf Partnership). As co-coordinator of the Gulf Partnership, Julia worked with colleagues to advocate for and implement permanent land conservation as a key strategy in restoring the environment from the impacts of the oil spill.  During her tenure, more than $100 million was allocated for land conservation.

Julia lives with her husband Robert Wiygul in Ocean Springs. Julia and Robert have two daughters.