Julie is an impact driven Chilean-American living between Barcelona and the Catskills in NY. She has dedicated her career to driving change through community impact strategies and ethical product creation. She works as an independent advisor to brands, designers and nonprofits to bring their values to life.

She has worked in-house with brands, most recently at URBN, Inc. where she built and led the Impact departments at both Free People and Urban Outfitters and also at adidas, where she developed their first community focused product line. She has worked closely with many nonprofits, including the National Park Foundation, Girls Inc,The Sundance Institute, Active Minds,Feeding America, etc. Her work has led her to artisan workshops to global headquarters across four continents, and has also led to impact awards from both Girls Inc and Mercado Global.

Julie holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan, a bilingual MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, and certificates in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School Online and Leading with Diversity from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a cofounder and designer of the creative jewelry project GEMELA.

NONPROFIT BOARD LEADERSHIP

Board of Directors, Girls Inc (2020-present)
Fashion Advisory Board Member, LIM College (2020 - present)
Fashion Advisory Board, Mercado Global (2021 - present)
Board of Directors of Cuba Skate (2019 - present)
Advisory Board Member, UCSD’s Sustainability Program (2024 - present)
European Green Awards Judge (2023 - present)

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

TEDx Speaker: The Contribution Mindset.
Academic Lectures: the University of Michigan Ross Business School, The Erb Institute, Wharton Business School, IESE Business School, China PSOne Art Academy, and LIM College
Keynote + Conference Speaker: Shoptalk Europe, IESE Barcelona Women in Business Conference, Fashiondex, Texworld, LA Textile, NYC Climate Week, Philly Design Week, and Fashinnovation.

PRESS

Julie Verdugo