Julie J. Christensen, LMSW, PhD, is the Associate Director of the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD), a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), at the University of Iowa. Prior to joining CDD in May 2016, Dr. Christensen served as the Director of Employment Programs at Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Christensen's background encompasses work in schools, not-for-profits, government and higher education. For the past 13 years, her career has centered around improving quality of life outcomes for at-risk youth, including youth with intellectual and development disabilities, through promoting employment and access to leisure and recreation opportunities in inclusive settings. She has considerable experience developing, administering, and evaluating federal, state and local grant-funded projects with an emphasis on cross-systems collaboration and systems change.

Dr. Christensen participates on Iowa’s Employment First team, through the Employment First State Leadership Mentor Program (EFSLMP), funded by the Federal Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy; and serves as the State Coordinator of Project SEARCH in Iowa. She also continues to serve as the Project Director for the New York State (NYS) Partnerships in Employment Systems Change initiative, a Project of National Significance funded by the Administration for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and is Co-Director of the the NYS EFSLMP project.

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 her Ph.D. in Health Practice Research at the University of Rochester. Dr. Christensen is also a former trainee of the Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) and Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs at the University of Rochester.