Julia was born and raised in the St. Louis Metro area. She graduated from Southern Illinois University with her undergraduate degree in business and graduate degree in higher education. After moving from Illinois to Arizona, she worked in various roles including Fraternity & Sorority Life, Housing & Residence Life, New Student Orientation, leadership development, and student activities/organizations. Prior to Arizona State University, Julia worked at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. She advised undergraduate students in the W. P. Carey School of Business from 2014 to 2021. With her commitment of advising students at ASU, Julia earned the "Excellence in Academic Advising" award as a New Advisor from The Council of Academic Advisors in 2017. In 2021, Julia joined the Global Education Office as a Program Manager for faculty-directed programs.