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Julie Thuy Underwood
"This is the place to be for anyone with a passion and love of community to make a meaningful difference."
For the last 20+ years, I’ve had the privilege of serving local communities from coast to coast, including in Maryland, California, and Washington State.
I’ve been appointed the first woman City Manager and the first BIPOC City Manager in two different locations, and currently, I am the Public Works Director in Kirkland, Washington. What I love about local government is that it is where residents engage with their government most directly. Where else can you attend a City Council meeting and address elected officials almost on any topic? I just love how influential the public can be in shaping their communities! This is the place to be for anyone with a passion and love of community to make a meaningful difference.
The highlight of my career has been to spearhead the establishment of the Northwest Women’s Leadership Academy in Washington State. The Academy is designed to address the underrepresentation of women in local government leadership roles. Only about 15% of the top seats in local government are filled by women. We are striving to move the needle. The Academy’s goal is to increase the leadership pipeline by helping to prepare women, and especially BIPOC women, to compete for these opportunities. I get such a strong sense of unified purpose when I meet women from diverse ethnicities, backgrounds, and disciplines who are committed and excited to lead their agencies and communities.
