Julie Osborn

Julie Osborn is the co-founder of EPI, and her daughter has participated in the Yellowstone program. Her engagement with EPI’s mission emerged from her own experience as a college student living abroad in Costa Rica. She studied ecology, which has had a profound impact on her own life, leading her to seek ways to build connections between people and nature, and between different cultures. She continues to be motivated by the transformation she witnesses in EPI’s students, and the ways in which EPI offers otherwise unattainable opportunities to youth as well as the urgent need to address ecological damage to our planet.

Julie led EPI for 19 years, and has been fortunate to spend extended periods of time developing relationships and programs at many of EPI’s field sites. She understands how to bring people together for a common cause, raise money, and drive organizational change, and now uses these talents and experiences as a Board member. She has a core belief that each one of us can make a positive difference, every day, through our actions. She is especially motivated by climate change and lives EPI’s values herself in her actions, big and small, whether it’s riding her bike instead of driving or volunteering on Montana’s political campaigns. She also loves spending time in nature, hiking, boating, and camping with her children and family.