Julia Lave Johnston

Julia Lave Johnston is the Director of Education Services for the California Association of Councils of Government (CALCOG). In this positions she manages the California Academy for Regional Leadership (CARL) and develops and assists in creating education and training opportunities for CALCOG’s 47 member agencies. Previous positions focused on integrating health and sustainability at the local and regional level, and providing cutting edge education for professionals as the Director of the Land Use and Natural Resources program at UC Davis Extension. She developed and implemented climate and planning policy for the State of Californian as Deputy Director for Planning Policy in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) under Governor Schwarzenegger, where she coordinated the Strategic Growth Council during its first two years. Julia has volunteered with the American Planning Association (APA) for over 20 years and is currently the president of the California Chapter of the APA. As the Director of the Sacramento Valley Section APA Board, Julia oversaw the creation of section programming focused on mentorship and leadership development that was recognized for excellence with both state and national APA awards. She received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon.