Dr. Julie E. Owen is Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at the School of Integrative Studies, George Mason University, where she coordinates the leadership studies major and minor, and teaches interdisciplinary courses on socially-responsible leadership, civic engagement, higher education, and community-engaged research. She is a Senior Scholar for Mason’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, a Faculty Fellow for the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning, and served as Senior Scholar for Civic Engagement for the university. She is affiliate faculty with the Higher Education Program, and with Women and Gender Studies.

Owen is the author of over thirty peer-reviewed publications, including:  (Stylus, 2020), Innovative Learning for Leadership Development (New Directions for Student Leadership volume 1, Jossey-Bass, 2015), and served as co-editor of Women and Leadership Development in College: A Facilitation Guide (Stylus, 2020), and both editions of the Handbook for Student Leadership Development (Jossey-Bass, 2011). She serves on several research teams, including the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership – Institutional Survey (MSL-IS) and the Leadership Identity Development (LID) project. Owen has received grants from the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) and received an AAC&U Bringing Theory to Practice (BTtP) research grant to examine the effects of civic engagement and well-being on first generation college students. She is a frequent presenter, consultant, and keynote speaker on topics related to leadership, social change, and organizational development. In addition to assuming leadership roles in professional associations including ACPA: College Educators International and the International Leadership Association (ILA), Owen has received AAC&U’s K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award and ACPA’s Annuit Coeptis and Diamond Honoree awards. At Mason, she was honored with the Teaching Excellence Award, the Undergraduate Research Mentoring Excellence Award, and was named Engaged Faculty Member of the Year for 2018. She was recognized with NASPA’s SLPKC Komives Research Award and the University of Maryland’s Distinguished Alumni Magoon Award.

Owen received her B.A. degree (1993) in psychology and English from the College of William and Mary, and her M. Ed. (1996) in College Student Personnel Administration from James Madison University. She holds a certificate of non-profit administration from Duke University (2000) and received her PhD (2008) in college student personnel at the University of Maryland, College Park. She resides in Fairfax, Virginia, where she enjoys reading, gardening, and travel.