Julie Christensen Named Associate Director of Iowa's UCEDD
July 8, 2016
Julie Christensen, LMSW, PhD has been named Associate Director of Iowa's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at the University of Iowa's Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD).
Prior to joining CDD, Dr. Christensen was the Director of Employment Programs at Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Rochester, one of New York's UCEDDs, where she served as the Principal Investigator and Project Director for the NYS Partnerships in Employment Systems Change project, Co-Director of the New York Employment First State Leadership Mentor Program, and also served as the New York State Coordinator for Project SEARCH. In her role at CDD, Dr. Christensen will bring her experiences from New York to contribute to Iowa's Employment First initiative, while also assuming broader program responsibilities.
Dr. Christensen's background includes over 13 years' experience working with youth and adolescents with mental illness and disabilities; and has considerable experience developing, administering, coordinating and evaluating federal, state and local grant-funded projects with an emphasis on cross-systems collaboration and program evaluation. Her research and advocacy efforts have achieved state and national level recognition, including the "Got Mike" Educational Leadership Award from the Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst (APSE) and the Move to Include Award from the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation.
Dr. Christensen received her undergraduate degrees in advertising and music from Syracuse University, and a Masters in Social Work degree from Roberts Wesleyan College. She received a Ph.D. in Health Practice Research at the University of Rochester, with a research emphasis on adolescents and young adults with IDD.