Julie Whitman

As Executive Director of the Children’s Commission, Julie Whitman coordinates with leaders from all branches of state government and hundreds of stakeholders across the state to study issues affecting vulnerable youth, promote information-sharing and best practices, and make recommendations to policy makers that will improve child outcomes in Indiana. Julie previously oversaw professional learning; nonprofit management consulting; information and data; and college and career counseling at the Indiana Youth Institute, a non-profit intermediary organization serving youth workers throughout Indiana. In the 2000s, Julie was director of the National Center for Victims of Crime’s Teen Victim Initiative, leading multi-site national projects engaging youth leadership for outreach and assistance to adolescent victims of crime. At the center, Julie also contributed to research on gang violence and witness intimidation, background checks for volunteers serving vulnerable populations, and professional awareness of the uses of DNA in the criminal justice system. Julie trained victim service professionals and youth workers nationally on the intersection of adolescent development and trauma. Julie is fluent in Spanish and holds an MSW degree from Boston College and a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.