Julie has worked in the voluntary sector for more than 20 years, mostly in the areas of disability and international development. She is a specialist in fundraising and market research and has led teams at a variety of national and international charities. She has an MBA in Charity Management from London South Bank University, writing a dissertation on mergers in the UK voluntary sector.

For the past two and a half years, Julie has been working as a freelance researcher and consultant for clients such as Amnesty International, World Vision, VSO, Target Ovarian Cancer and Care International. She is an associate of the international consultancy THINK Consulting Solutions. Her voluntary work in Reading has included PR and fundraising for Reading Town Meal.