Meet Julie

A passion for promoting civic dialogue

Julie was elected to the Minnesota legislature in 2006. She serves on many committees: Ways and Means, Health and Human Services Policy, and Healthcare and Human Services Finance Division, and is Vice Chair of the Licensing Division.

Julie has chief authored important legislation that passed in her first term, including establishing a biomonitoring and health tracking program (includes biomonitoring of PFC chemicals), the major healthcare reform bill, bonding for cleanup of the Washington County Closed Landfill in Lake Elmo (the source of PFC pollution in Lake Elmo and northern Woodbury), and a bill that places a statewide moratorium on the permitting of solid-waste landfills until new rules are established to prevent permitting on sites sensitive to groundwater contamination. She also chief or co-authored numerous bills to improve the tax climate for small and large businesses in Minnesota.

Prior to serving in the legislature, Julie was a college professor and an active community volunteer. During a time of significant challenges for the City, she served for four years on the Lake Elmo Planning Commission. On the Planning Commission, Julie's peers acknowledged her contributions by appointing her to special sub-committees to advise the larger Commission, and by inviting her back to lead workshops for the Commission after she had stepped down. During this time, Julie also served as an advisor to a non-profit think tank, and as a host mother to AFS and Rotary exchange students.

The knowledge and experience to bring innovation and accountability to government

Julie is an applied economist with twenty years of government, academic, and civic experience conducting, and interpreting policy research related to economic development, labor markets, land use, urban planning, and environment and resources issues. She received her Masters and Ph.D. Degrees from Stanford University. Prior to Stanford, she worked at the U.S. Department of Labor. During the 1990s, she was a professor at Macalester College. While a professor, Julie gained extensive exposure to Minnesota public policy issues and served on the College's Long Range Planning and Budget Committee. Julie has been a Fellow of the Humphrey Institute Policy Forum, and received a Pew Faculty Fellowship in International Affairs to Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Julie's family

Julie lives in Lake Elmo, with her husband, Marlon Gunderson. Marlon was raised, with ten siblings, in Chisago and Kanabec counties in a dairy farming family. Marlon met Julie in graduate school and currently works as a design engineer for Lockheed Martin Corp. Their daughter, Lauren, graduated from Lake Elmo Elementary, Oak-Land Jr. High, and, in 2008, Stillwater Area High School, and is now attending college.