About Julia

Julia established The Novak Consulting Group in September 2009. Her reputation and experience as a consultant who offers practical and implementable recommendations are grounded in more than 15 years of active service to local governments, including Fort Collins, Colorado; Lexington, Massachusetts; Rockville, Maryland; and as the city manager of Rye, New York. She is a practitioner first who has expanded her knowledge and expertise as a consultant for hundreds of organizations across the United States.

Julia has extensive experience as a facilitator and trainer. She has worked with both elected and appointed officials from jurisdictions throughout the United States to conduct goal setting, develop strategic plans, and prioritize service delivery. She has conducted training for elected officials as an individual trainer and through the National League of Cities and a consortium of cities in California.

Julia is an established thought leader in the areas of governance and administration. In April 2002, Julia was one of 20 practitioners who participated in the ICMA-sponsored symposium on the future of local government administration. Her response to Dr. James Svara’s paper, “City Council, Roles, Performance, and the Form of Government,” is included in the ICMA-published book, “The Future of Local Government Administration.” Public Management Magazine has published multiple articles that she authored and co-authored, including “Preparing Councils for Their Work,” co-authored with Dr. John Nalbandian; “Permission to Manage” which discusses the importance of using data to manage local governments; “Dreams That Make a Difference” on the value of community based strategic planning; “Civility,” and most recently, “Using Data in Police Management.”

Julia has been a speaker at national conferences for the ICMA, National League of Cities, and American Society of Public Administrators. She has been a featured speaker/trainer for many state associations and local government affiliate organizations throughout the United States.

Julia earned a bachelor’s degree in government and politics from George Mason University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas. Julia was in the first class of individuals certified by ICMA as Credentialed Local Government Managers and maintains that designation. Julia is a Master Facilitator of the popular Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator and is certified to administer several other Level B psychological assessments.