The Planning Council was founded in 1941 to serve as the human services consulting agency for Hampton Roads. It was the belief that in collaboration with a range of local partners, TPC could identify community needs, connect people with solutions, and improve lives. Today, Vice President Julie Dixon spearheads this mission by overseeing the Community Planning & Development division of the organization.
Since 2002, Julie has brought to TPC her innate ability to foster strong and lasting relationships and her passion for solving community health issues. She appreciates being a part of a community and gaining a deep understanding of all aspects of a community. Most importantly, she enjoys helping vulnerable households by removing barriers to accessing resources and determining funding priorities to improve opportunities. Julie serves as a trusted extension of regional organizations and agencies, actively working to assess community needs, evaluate programs, and offer strategic guidance. Through research and knowledge, she proposes evidence-based, best practice tools and programs. Whenever a community concern arises and TPC is requested to participate in a coalition, it is Julie’s involvement that will help drive results.
Julie and her team are also responsible for applying for and distributing $12 million in funding to our regional homeless services agencies and reporting required homeless data to federal, state, and local decision makers. Her goal for the future is to revitalize more data analysis projects. By utilizing data that captures the social determinants that impact the conditions of daily life, Julie’s team can generate visualization tools to help the general public better understand the greatest needs and what is being done to address them. From there, plans of action can be formulated to enhance the quality of life of individuals and communities in Hampton Roads.
Although Julie is committed to Hampton Roads, she is not native to the area. She spent her childhood in Guam and later lived in Russia during the fall of communism and the transition to democracy. Hence, Julie’s desire for cultural diversity and vibrant communities. This is further evidenced by her hobbies of trying out new ethnic food recipes, traveling, reading books, and gardening. There could not be a more perfect person to lead Community Planning & Development than the one and only Julie Dixon.