Julie Young

Young was raised in Lexington, Kentucky.[1] She completed a B.A. in elementary education at the University of Kentucky.[2] Her first job was teaching sixth grade at St. Peters and Paul School in Lexington. Young moved to Fort Myers, Florida at the age of 21 with her husband Bruce, whose job at IBM necessitated the move, and their two children. They later moved to Orlando.[3] While living there, she earned a M.Ed. in administration and supervision from the University of South Florida.[1][2]

Young began teaching at San Carlos Park Elementary School in San Carlos Park, Florida.[1] In 1989, Young was an elementary school teacher in Fort Myers, Florida.[4] She led a technological initiative between the school district and IBM.[4] For two years, Young worked as a teacher on assignment for IBM where she trained teachers throughout the school district. In 1996, she was hired as an assistant principal at Tildenville Elementary in Tildenville, Florida.[4] Before that school year began, Bob Williams, the associate superintendent, hired Young to lead a technology grant to develop an online high school.[4] The $200,000 "Break the Mold Grant" from the Florida Department of Education was awarded to Orange County and Alachua County, Florida.[5] Young founded the Florida Virtual School in 1997 and served as its president and chief executive officer until 2014.[6]

In 2006, Young was a board member of the United States Distance Learning Association.[5] As of 2018, she is also a board member of the North American Council for Online Learning She was a pioneer in the field of virtual schools.[5]

In 2017, Young joined Arizona State University (ASU) to assist with the launch of ASU Prep Digital.[1] She is the managing director of the Arizona State University Preparatory Academy.[1] Young is also the ASU vice president of education outreach and student services.[2]

Young is a recipient of the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education.[2]

Young is married and has two sons.[4][1]

• Official website
• Appearances on C-SPAN