Even though Julie Walburn never served in the military, she has always been inspired by the core values of the United States Air Force, “Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all that you do.” Those values are ones that Julie personally tries to live by in serving the people of Ohio.
Julie is the Chief of Staff for the Ohio Department of Health. As the Chief of Staff, she oversees agency operations and is responsible for nearly 1,100 employees who work to ensure the state health department is responsive to the needs of Ohio’s 11.5 million residents. Prior to her current role, Julie served as the Chief of the ODH Bureau of Health Preparedness. In that role, she strengthened ODH’s readiness to meet the needs of impacted Ohioans in emergency and disaster situations.
The nature of Julie’s work at ODH leads to odd working hours, not just your Monday thru Friday between 8am and 5pm. The issues requiring the attention of the department happen on weekends, late in evenings, and on holidays. “The key to not letting the work consume me is enforcing a balance within my family.” Julie has found that organization is key to being able to juggle the many hats you wear as a working mom. “I’m a planner and a scheduler, taking the time to map out the weeks and months ahead so there is time for all things requiring attention, family, work, and friends. I often joke that I am a Chief of Staff at work and the General Manager at home. Luckily, the skill sets transfer.”
Julie is originally from Glouster, a small rural village in Southeastern Ohio. She was Salutatorian among 47 students in her graduating high school class. Julie earned an academic scholarship to Wilmington College and became the first person in her extended family to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree. She continued to pursue and earn her Master’s Degree at The Ohio State University. “More than anything, though, I’m proud to be a small town girl from Southeastern Ohio who has been entrusted to serve my community at the state level.”
Even though work can keep Julie busy, she still finds the time to volunteer as classroom parent for her son’s first grade class and help out with the PTO for activities such as COSI on Wheels and the annual book fair fundraiser. Julie also volunteers for both her children’s youth sports programs. “I strongly believe that when Tyler and Sydney see me at their school, engaged with their teachers and their friends, they know I value their learning environment and therefore they will value it as well.”
Julie would ultimately like to change the perception that public service, specifically through government, is made up of people who want to be engulfed in the bureaucracy and guaranteed a job regardless of how they produce. “I want state service to be attractive to young professionals who are committed to making a difference and willing to be held accountable for producing results. I want the public to be confident that officials are working on their behalf every day to make our state the best place in the nation to live and raise a family.”