Julie grew up in the Arizona desert and the Bay area in California, before traveling to Alaska to work summers at a fishing resort near Ketchikan. She met her husband in Alaska and together they moved to Washington to start a family. She attended University of Washington in Seattle for her Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences and her Master of Science in Medical Speech Language Pathology while commuting home to Kelso on weekends and holiday breaks to care for her family. She is a member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and has experience in Early Support (Early Intervention). She has a passion for working with kids with feeding difficulties, language delays or disorders, and enjoys learning new evidence-based treatments to help children and adults communicate well and enjoy safe mealtimes. She spends her free time with her family and enjoys reading, needlecrafts, and watching Kraken hockey.