Julia Kim joined the Local Government Commission (LGC) in March of 2015 and serves as the Director of Climate and Energy Programs. She helps to create livable, resilient communities by partnering with public agencies, community leaders, and key stakeholders throughout California on place-based climate resilience initiatives while supporting the advancement of the climate change field at-large. She focuses on the opportunities that climate change presents to redesign existing systems and processes while collaborating with diverse partners to implement equitable, innovative, and comprehensive climate solutions.

Julia is also a board member of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) and the Sierra Nevada Alliance (SNA). She serves as a community advisory committee member for UCLA’s Climate Change Heat Impacts & Protective Policies Project and as a steering committee member for the 2019 California Climate Action Planning Conference.

At LGC, Julia leverages her experience and skills in policy analysis, communications, strategic planning, and graphic design to provide technical assistance, facilitate collaborative networks, develop resources and tools, and manage complex projects.

She also supports LGC’s CivicSpark AmeriCorps Program as the adaptation sector lead and has previously facilitated the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative, engaged in two research projects through California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment, and supported an array of additional climate- and energy-focused projects.

Prior to joining LGC, Julia led marketing and development at the Rising Sun Energy Center and served as the communications director at RE-volv. Julia earned a B.A. in political science and philosophy, and an M.P.P. in environmental policy and international security/economic policy, both from the University of Maryland. In her free time, she enjoys making music, backpacking and mountaineering, practicing yoga, and traveling.