University Economic Development Association
Julia Potter

Julia Potter

UEDA Past President

Owner
Potter Enterprises
potterenterprises2021@gmail.com

Julia recently retired from her 14-year career at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). During her tenure at CSUN, Julia served in several roles. At the time of her retirement in December 2020, Julia was the Director of Educational Partnerships Development & Special University Projects for the University. Her responsibilities included a wide range of external-relations activities including establishing university-wide partnerships with businesses and industries for contracted applied research and customized workforce-development programs, developing relationships for grants and sponsored programs and fostering regional economic and community development initiatives.  She served as the point-of-contact for CSUN’s Elevate Campaign, a business-development strategy conceived by campus leadership when state funding was significantly reduced.  She was a key stakeholder in the CSUN Innovates! initiative, leading the CSUN Innovates! Interest Group (115+ members) and serving on the CSUN Innovates! Executive Steering Committee.

Julia also served as the campus Guide for the CSU5, an alliance of the five California State Universities in Los Angeles County. Together, the CSU5 campuses are working across institutional lines to provide enhanced educational and research opportunities, as well as to be a catalyst for new models and standards for how higher education can and should play a significant role in economic and community development.

Julia’s work in establishing and sustaining strategic external partnerships for CSUN included work with regional and national professional organizations. Julia’s external relations work for CSUN included serving as the campus designee for the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (CECE). In 2018, CSUN received the APLU CECE Innovation and Economic Prosperity University (IEP) designation and Julia was a key contributor to that successful effort. In 2018, she was appointed to a two-year term of service as one of two Los Angeles County representatives for the 10-county AMP SoCal partnership created by the Federal I.M.C.P. designation awarded to the region to advance manufacturing in Southern California.

In 2016, Julia was elected to the Board of Directors for the University Economic Development Association (UEDA).  Her Board activities have included serving as planning lead for UEDA’s 2017 Annual Summit hosted by the CSU5 in Long Beach, chairing the 2018 UEDA Awards of Excellence committee (the Awards of Excellence program recognizes cutting-edge university-based economic development initiatives from across North America), and chairing the 2019 Annual Summit committee. In 2019, Julia became the President of UEDA. She is currently serving as the Past President for UEDA with a focus on organizational development.

Julia Potter launched Potter Enterprises, a consultancy firm, in January 2021. Before launching her career at CSUN and then forming Potter Enterprises, Julia worked in the private sector doing business development and stockholder relations for a privately held company, as well as in the non-profit sector as a fundraiser.

University Economic Development Association

PO Box 97930
Pittsburgh, PA 15227
216.200.UEDA (8332)
info@universityeda.org