Julia Smith serves as UVA's Executive Director for Federal Relations and Special Assistant to the President. In this role, she oversees all federal advocacy and lobbying efforts for the University with Congress, the White House, and federal research agencies. She is an expert in science communication and is dedicated to promoting the incredible work of federally funded researchers across federal networks and the broader science advocacy community. On higher education priorities, Julia advocates for robust support for federal student aid programs, comprehensive immigration reform, and the development and implementation of federal level equity and inclusion policies and principles. She is dedicated to sharing the powerful stories of UVA faculty, students, and staff to help shape and inform federal policies impacting our community.
Julia served as the University of Arizona’s Assistant Vice President for Federal Relations before joining UVA in 2022. Prior to her work at UArizona, she served as Assistant Vice President for Federal Relations at the Association of American Universities where her responsibilities for research funding and policy issues covered the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and the Humanities. Her portfolio also included research costs, scientific openness and security, and communicating science effectively to broader audiences. Julia served as a founder of and chair for the Golden Goose Award from 2012 to 2018. The Award recognizes federally funded basic research that may have been obscure when originally funded but has since gone on to have enormous societal impact. She holds a BA in Philosophy from Dickinson College.