
Julie Gillis
Julie Gillis is a story and development strategist focused on progressive social change. She works with nonprofit leaders, media professionals, political organizers, artists and advocates to get their stories into the world.
She loves helping innovators raise funds and investors, build community, and enhance board growth. Her goal is to analyze, advise, and transform your narrative systems so that your organization can soar. Check out her social links here or below at the bottom of the page
Julie speaks, writes, and consults with vulnerability, warmth, and humor as her clients forge the most impactful narrative in their story whether personal or organizational.
She is skilled in facilitating fundraising and development processes, staff and board dynamics, and systems growth, but is especially passionate about supporting organizations focused on complex issues focused on social equity and justice.

Her professional and consulting work includes non-profit organizations such as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon PBS, Planned Parenthood of SW Oregon, Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Lotus Rising Project, Ashland New Plays Festival, Ashland Children’s Theatre, Twin Heroes Productions, Collaborative Theatre Project, The Rogue Valley Messenger, Salvage Vanguard Theater, The Vortex Rep, The Woodhull Foundation, Lilith Fund, NARAL Pro Choice Texas, New Leaders Council Austin, Shift Stigma, the UT Gender and Sexuality Center, Queerbomb and the Day of the Dead Race.
In addition, she’s provided development consulting with the following film and theater projects Let Go And Love Tour, Tightly Wound, Windows, Duels, The Territory, and The Reluctant Radical.
As a speaker, Julie presents spirited talks on community building and development, storytelling, diversity, public speaking, relationships, grief, reproductive justice, human rights and LGBTQ advocacy, and creativity. She’s presented at SXSW, TED X Great Hills, Southern Oregon University, The Women’s Leadership Conference at SOU, The AAUW Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon Public Television, The University of Texas at Austin, Woodhull Foundation and emceed at TED X Ashland, The Texas Observer, and many other events. She has coached countless speakers and writers as they shared their projects onstage and off.
She has curated, coached, and supported over ten years of community storytelling events in Austin, Dallas, Washington DC, San Francisco, Boulder, Ashland, Atlanta, Edmonton, Alberta, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She produced the only women’s comedy festival in Texas, Ladies Are Funny Festival for six years, and was a founding steering committee member of 14/48 Austin: The Worlds Quickest Theater Festival.
Julie’s mission is to help get your story out of you, into the world, with a community and resources so it can thrive.
