Associate Vice President for Federal Relations
Julia Jester began at AAU in January 2020. Her primary responsibilities as Associate Vice President for Federal Relations include policies and funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and research integrity. She shares responsibility for other higher education and research policy issues related to American innovation & competitiveness and scientific openness & security.
Before joining AAU, Julia served as the Congressional Liaison Officer at the U.S. Geological Survey, a bureau of the Department of Interior. Prior to USGS, she led the congressional affairs team at the National Science Foundation for several years. On Capitol Hill, she served as staff director of the Subcommittee on Technology of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and spent six years on the personal staff of Congressman Vernon Ehlers of Grand Rapids, MI.
Julia earned her doctorate in Applied Science and masters and bachelor’s in chemistry from the College of William and Mary.