Under her leadership, the Aquarium has pioneered innovative exhibits and education initiatives. It has evolved into one of the nation's leading ocean conservation organizations through its globally respected Seafood Watch program, its activities on behalf of ocean policy reform, and field research that is illuminating the conservation challenges facing sea otters, white sharks, and tunas in the wild. The aquarium envisions a world in which both people and nature thrive, and equity and social justice are essential underpinnings to achieving its mission: to inspire conservation of the ocean.

Julie is a leader in ocean conservation worldwide and brings a lifelong passion for the natural world to her service with many organizations dedicated to conservation activities. She is equally a strong advocate for advancing equity and diversity in the sciences, including the endowment of scholarships at UC Santa Cruz that support individuals from historically marginalized communities, and of aquarium programs that help young women develop confidence and identity in the sciences.

She is a trustee of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and chairs the Board of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), a world leader in deep-ocean science and technology.

A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she's the recipient of numerous honors and awards including the Audubon Medal for Conservation, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award and the California Coastal Commission's Coastal Hero award. In 2013, she was appointed to California's Parks Forward Commission to craft a vision and blueprint for the future of a state park system serving 38 million Californians.

In 2019, she became only the second woman in the marine sciences and conservation — along with Rachel Carson — to be the subject of a commissioned portrait for the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Julie was a member of the Pew Oceans Commission and serves on the Joint Oceans Commission Initiative, where she works to implement comprehensive reform of U.S. ocean policy. She has addressed ocean issues as a featured speaker at international conferences, including the World Trade Organization, the International Aquarium Congress and the Seafood Summit.

A marine biologist, Julie earned both a bachelor's degree and master's degree in biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a focus on marine algae.