Julie Nelson is the Senior Vice President of the new Race Forward. The new Race Forward is the union of two leading racial justice non-profit organizations: Race Forward and Center for Social Inclusion (CSI). She is also the Director of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a joint project of the new Race Forward and the Haas Institute for a Fair & Inclusive Society, where she serves as Senior Fellow.

Julie is the former Director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights where she served eight years, providing both vision and hands-on work to Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative. She also served in other government positions including the City of Seattle Human Services Department, Administrative Services and Public Utilities, Housing and Urban Development, and Pima County Community Services in Tucson, Arizona.

Julie has a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Washington and has served on the boards of multiple nonprofits. She is actively involved with community groups working for racial and social justice. Nelson is driven by her passion to realize equity and social justice.