India Little

Julie was a mentor to me - my first real boss who hired me for an internship at Mercy Corps the summer of 2009. A full blown recession, a recent college grad with a degree in liberal arts & no idea what I was doing. Julie gave this time of my life such purpose - we moved in to the new building, opened the Action Center, threw massive fundraising events. But my favorite memories were our weekly 1x1s where we would just talk about what we were reading. She would print out articles for me that she thought I would like. We'd recommend novels to each other and she would declare every one "the best fucking thing I've ever read." When I told her I was leaving Mercy Corps to backpack around the world for a year, her attitude was like: "Well, of course you are, what else would you do!?" She made time for a coffee with me every time I was in Portland and was always inspiring, encouraging, and made me feel like I could be successful in "corporate America" while also being myself. I treasure all her silly sweet Instagram DMs and will cite her as my mentor and inspiration forever & ever.