Interviewer’s intro: Julie has been our Idaho Press Club lobbyist, pro-bono, for the past two legislative sessions. She’s a crackerjack lobbyist and we’re lucky to have her pulling for us on open-government issues. She made national waves last year with her push to remove Idaho’s sales tax from Girl Scout cookies – another pro-bono effort, as Julie served on the board of the Girl Scouts Silver Sage Council and her daughter, Ella, is an active scout. She also represents a list of clients and is a familiar face at Idaho’s Statehouse.
Press Club position: Idaho Press Club lobbyist
Background/career path: Nonprofits, advocacy, lobbying. Public policy adviser at Westerberg & Associates; founded Shift Public Affairs; previously worked for Idaho School Boards Association, American Cancer Society Action Network, Ballet Idaho, and Catholic Charities of Idaho.
What interested you in this position? Carefully watching legislation with potential impact on open meeting laws, issues that impact our daily lives as citizens, gives me a positive sense of contribution to our community and state.
Education: Bachelors’s degree, Boise State, political science and gender studies
Family: Two children, Ella, 10, and Harrison, 5
Pets: One golden retriever named Maverick, one tabby cat named Zinnia, and a Guinea pig named Gingy.
Something people may not know about you: To attempt to prove women can do anything a man can do, I’ll take just about any dare.
Surprising skill: I’m pretty much a crack shot. Seriously.
Hobbies: Running and Hot Yoga. I love to push myself physically. It helps to remind me that daily trials are only little and can be overcome with determination and persistence. (She didn’t mention it, but Julie runs marathons.)
Oddest thing you’ve had to deal with for the Press Club: Testify against a bill alongside the ACLU and Idaho Freedom Foundation, two groups from opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Interviewed by Betsy Russell
