About Julia Keleher
Julia Keleher, Ed.D, MBA, PMP, is an educator, leader, management consultant, author, and speaker with over 25 years of experience confronting some of the biggest problems that affect modern societies. She champions initiatives that reduce the inequalities that plague public education and uphold human dignity. She is recognized in both the public and private sectors for her ability to create practical solutions to complex problems. She has designed and implemented numerous turnaround strategies in high-conflict, politically-charged environments.
Julia is a fierce advocate for equity who collaborates with individuals, organizations, and communities to transform oppressive systems and failing institutions. She believes all citizens deserve equitable access to opportunities and resources and that collaborative problems solving can create a more inclusive and just society.
A natural leader, skilled executive, and passionate change agent, Julia has a proven track record helping organizations design and implement customized strategies, adapt to change, build capacity, and engage in continuous improvement. Julia has expertise in managing large-scale crises and balancing competing priorities and interests. Her ability to think quickly enables her to be agile and guide teams in making timely course corrections when unexpected events occur.
Julia’s decades-long experience in business and education uniquely positions her to help leaders and organizations seeking to implement outcome-oriented change and meet both corporate and social responsibility goals. She is sought-after by organizations and philanthropists who seek to invest in social change initiatives and require demonstrable returns on their investments. One of Julia’s most unique attributes is that she can connect her technical and academic expertise with her lessons learned. Through her first-hand experience with the criminal justice system, she has unique insight into the pervasive practices that threaten the individual rights and civil liberties of the accused.
These personal experiences have strengthened her conviction to continue to fight for equity, justice, transparency, and accountability. She shares her knowledge and first hand experiences as a Part Time and Visiting Faculty at the George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
Awards and Recognition
Julia Keleher has earned multiple recognitions during her service in government and academia. She is consistently recognized as a dynamic leader who encourages thinking outside of the box and applying strengths-based models to identify opportunities to innovate. She has three advanced degrees which enable her to develop multi-faceted solutions that integrate best practices in psychology, education, leadership, business, and project management. She has been recognized by two Excellence in Government programs (2010, 2012), named Outstanding Professor of Project Management (2014), identified as an Extraordinary Changemaker (2017), and awarded the Leadership Award for Valor in Crisis (2018). During her career, she’s made appearances on TODAY, PBS NewsHour, C-SPAN, and many other national TV programs, and has been published across leading trade, academic, and mainstream publications.
Julia earned her B.A. in Political Science and MS Ed in Psychological Services from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her MBA in June 2013 and holds a doctorate degree from the University of Delaware.