For eleven years, she worked with students in the foster care system as a Music Mentor and volunteer program manager with Kids In a New Groove (now part of Partnerships with Children), originating their curriculum and training new mentors. She was awarded Music Mentor of the Year in 2019. A private voice teacher for more than a decade, she now focuses on coaching singing-artists on auditioning, dramatic interpretation, performance anxiety, and vocal pedagogy.
Julie spent five summers as the first Assistant Director and Program Manager of the Taos Opera Institute in New Mexico – an intensive residential young artist program – where she developed the organization's processes, programming, original assets, and branding. She also managed the faculty, guest artists, and attendees, and was named their very first Artist-In-Residence.
Her four seasons as the Director of Digital & Audience Experience at Austin Opera ushered in a period of non-traditional customer-centric innovations and growth. During her tenure, her team won two OPERA America “Innovation” grants; co-produced a VR project with Washington National Opera; presented Tosca at a Formula 1 racetrack amphitheater, original opera films at a drive-in (co-produced with Houston Grand Opera), and a bilingual concert series partnership with the Mexican Consulate; produced a new digital opera channel with weekly native content, and earned a coveted place in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator. Julie developed and executed marketing/audience-building/placemaking strategies that have become part of a new standard for classical organizations.
Julie joined the team at Tetractys New Music (Austin, TX) as the inaugural Producing Director of Here Be Monsters 2023, 2024, and 2025, building the foundation and structure of the yearly 2-day indie-classical festival. She continues to be involved as a participant with her performing arts company, One Ounce Opera.
Launched in 2012 in a live music venue in Downtown Austin, One Ounce Opera's (OOO) varied non-traditional productions have been nominated for over 40 awards – eight of which are personal nods for her Outstanding Stage Direction (including the Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin 2026). Julie's forward-thinking, genre-defining spirit is perhaps most strongly exemplified by her creation of one of the world's only micro-opera showcases, OOO's yearly Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera. She currently serves as the Executive & Artistic Director of OOO (to find out more and catch the next show, click here).
Bringing her experience and knowledge to a diverse spectrum of folks through fractional projects, Julie joined Austin firm Zanate Marketing as their Creative Director in 2022. Her clients have spanned smart tech, precision navigation, nonprofits, social justice, performing arts organizations, and experimental music makers.
An experienced speaker, Julie’s most requested presentations explore how to spark real connection, the power of the right kind of storytelling, how to turn a creative background into a successful communications career, and what tools young artists need to self-produce their dream projects. Most recently, Julie presented live featured sessions at the Austin Lions Club and the Texas Chambers of Commerce Executives Annual Convention (titled: How to Make Your Events Unmissable Without Reinventing the Wheel).
She's currently working on a new project to curate IRL experiences for folks in Austin and beyond, called Find Your Fourth Space.