Prior to joining the MSU community, Julie spent 10 years working in HR/LR for TRW Aircraft Components Group in Euclid, Ohio and the Nestle' Chocolate and Confections facility in Fulton, NY.

Julie's teaching and research interests include workplace education, adult learning, negotiation and conflict resolution. Her dissertation titled, "Problem Solving of Machine Operators within the Context of Everyday Work: Learning through Relationship and Community", explored the nature of learning associated with the problem solving activity of machine operators in industry. Julie has co-authored several publications including "Learning to become a machine operator: The dialogical relationship between context, self and content" (Human Resource Development Quarterly (in press, 2006), "Setting expectations and resolving conflicts in graduate education" (Journal for Higher Education Strategy, 2004), "Focus on internal partnerships: A framework for implementing community policing in a unionized department" (In M. Morash and J.K. Ford, The Move to Community Policing: Making Change Happen, 2002), "A labor-management approach to community policing" (The Journal of Community Policing, 1999), "What do police unions want? Observations about building an infrastructure for involving unions in community policing" (The Journal of Community Policing, 1999). Julie has presented numerous conference papers with a focus on workplace learning.