Julie Chavez Rodriguez
Presidential Fellow
Email: jurodriguez@chapman.edu
Biography
Julie Chávez Rodríguez is a political strategist and organizer who has dedicated
her career to advancing the rights of working people, and building leadership and
power with and among communities of color.
Julie most recently served as Campaign Manager for Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden’s presidential campaigns, building a staff of over 3,000 people across 7 core battleground states. She previously served as Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the first 2 ½ years of the Biden-Harris White House. As Director of IGA, Julie maintained relationships with all Governors across the United States and Territories, in addition to Mayors, State Legislators, and County Officials, to name a few. During the 2020 General Election, Julie joined Biden for President as a Deputy Campaign Manager overseeing Political, Coalitions, and Super Surrogate strategy. Throughout her career, Julie has built and led numerous organizations and state-based teams, including as then Senator Kamala Harris’ State Director and Senior Adviser, where she built an impactful, diverse staff of 25 constituent service representatives and field organizers, opened five district offices in key regions in the State, and established a strong statewide presence with elected and community leaders throughout California. During her tenure as State Director, Julie positioned the Senate office to lead major statewide initiatives, including immigration rapid response services and outreach, support for addressing the Black maternal mortality rate in California, and increasing investment in local hire and re-entry initiatives. She also built strategic alliances in support of key in-State and national union and progressive organizing efforts with SEIU, UNITE-HERE, Indivisible, and CHIRLA, to name a few.
Julie spent nearly a decade in Washington, DC, and proudly served in President Obama’s Administration as Special Assistant and Senior Deputy Director of Public Engagement for the White House. She worked to advance the President’s policy agenda while building lasting coalitions around efforts including DACA implementation, ACA enrollment, gun violence prevention and veteran affairs. Julie hired and managed a diverse and talented team of constituency liaisons and directors who oversaw LGBT, AAPI, Latino, Veteran, Youth, and Labor outreach and efforts to reform our nation’s immigration system.
During the first two years of the Obama Administration, Julie worked as Deputy Press Secretary for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, helping to lead communications and outreach for the National Museum of the American Latino Commission and support crisis communications response during the 2009 BP Oil Spill. Julie also helped to develop and implement one of Secretary Salazar’s signature initiatives to double the number of diverse young people working in America’s great outdoors and build the next generation of conservation stewards.
Prior to stepping into public service, Julie began her career in the Labor movement and non-profit sector receiving fist hand organizing training on the front lines of the United Farm Workers industry wide strawberry campaign in the late 1990s and later working as the Programs Director for the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation. As Program Director, Julie worked with the State of California, school districts across 10 States, and hundreds of colleges and universities to develop and implement service and educational programming to engage young people in local community organizing efforts.
Julie most recently served as Campaign Manager for Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden’s presidential campaigns, building a staff of over 3,000 people across 7 core battleground states. She previously served as Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the first 2 ½ years of the Biden-Harris White House. As Director of IGA, Julie maintained relationships with all Governors across the United States and Territories, in addition to Mayors, State Legislators, and County Officials, to name a few. During the 2020 General Election, Julie joined Biden for President as a Deputy Campaign Manager overseeing Political, Coalitions, and Super Surrogate strategy. Throughout her career, Julie has built and led numerous organizations and state-based teams, including as then Senator Kamala Harris’ State Director and Senior Adviser, where she built an impactful, diverse staff of 25 constituent service representatives and field organizers, opened five district offices in key regions in the State, and established a strong statewide presence with elected and community leaders throughout California. During her tenure as State Director, Julie positioned the Senate office to lead major statewide initiatives, including immigration rapid response services and outreach, support for addressing the Black maternal mortality rate in California, and increasing investment in local hire and re-entry initiatives. She also built strategic alliances in support of key in-State and national union and progressive organizing efforts with SEIU, UNITE-HERE, Indivisible, and CHIRLA, to name a few.
Julie spent nearly a decade in Washington, DC, and proudly served in President Obama’s Administration as Special Assistant and Senior Deputy Director of Public Engagement for the White House. She worked to advance the President’s policy agenda while building lasting coalitions around efforts including DACA implementation, ACA enrollment, gun violence prevention and veteran affairs. Julie hired and managed a diverse and talented team of constituency liaisons and directors who oversaw LGBT, AAPI, Latino, Veteran, Youth, and Labor outreach and efforts to reform our nation’s immigration system.
During the first two years of the Obama Administration, Julie worked as Deputy Press Secretary for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, helping to lead communications and outreach for the National Museum of the American Latino Commission and support crisis communications response during the 2009 BP Oil Spill. Julie also helped to develop and implement one of Secretary Salazar’s signature initiatives to double the number of diverse young people working in America’s great outdoors and build the next generation of conservation stewards.
Prior to stepping into public service, Julie began her career in the Labor movement and non-profit sector receiving fist hand organizing training on the front lines of the United Farm Workers industry wide strawberry campaign in the late 1990s and later working as the Programs Director for the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation. As Program Director, Julie worked with the State of California, school districts across 10 States, and hundreds of colleges and universities to develop and implement service and educational programming to engage young people in local community organizing efforts.