Julia Reed
Executive Director, LCSW
Julia Reed received her Bachelor of Science from Florida Southern College and her Master of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma and has been a licensed clinical social worker for almost 30 years. Julia’s background as a therapist is in serving children, families and individuals experiencing crisis, recovering from trauma, facing addiction and overcoming other mental health challenges. Julia’s early career interests were child development and infant mental health. On her journey to working with children and families, she witnessed the impact of systems on the development of children. Julia has served in leadership roles at nonprofit agencies serving diverse populations and has a passion for serving children, young people and families.
For the first 23 years of her career, Julia worked in nonprofit agencies serving diverse populations. Her social work career has provided experience in many settings, including hospitals, juvenile justice and nonprofits. She served as the assistant executive director at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, the chief operations officer at Sunbeam Family Services, senior director for the University of Central Oklahoma Center for Counseling and Well-Being, vice president of clinical operations for children and family services at NorthCare and as a consultant and trainer for the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers. Ms. Reed was a 2018 recipient of the University of Central Oklahoma “Women Who Inspire” award. In 2019, she was selected as the Oklahoma Social Worker of the Year by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Julia joined Green Shoe Foundation in November 2024 as the executive director.
Julia sees social work as a profession of storytelling and story collecting, where new connections create space for experiencing the world through someone else’s lens. Ms. Reed loves learning about others, experiencing new places and spaces — in books or in real life — and trying new flavors and foods. As a military brat, Julia moved frequently and attended at least six different schools in her K-12 experience. In her free time, Julia enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with family and pets.