Julia Neighbors is a Clinical Assistant Professor and the Director of Prevent Child Abuse (PCA) Georgia which is housed in the Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development at Georgia State University’s School of Public Health. Prior to her work with PCA Georgia, she advocated for children and families through work in the nonprofit, private, and public sectors for almost two decades. Her past experience includes work with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) around Georgia, community revitalization efforts, and as a senior attorney with the Fulton County Office of the Child Attorney.

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Julia also served as the project manager for JUST Georgia (at Voices for Georgia’s Children), a statewide cross sector coalition of organizations and individuals who successfully advocated for the passage of Juvenile Justice Reform in the Georgia General Assembly. Apart from her legal expertise, Julia has extensive experience in strategic planning, resource development, coalition building, and program management.  In 2013, Julia was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to the Board of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice to represent congressional district 5 and served in that role until 2019. 

Julia’s mentorship and professional development guidance with graduate students has resulted in their hands on involvement in cross sector opportunities to produce strategic plans, resource guides, and evaluation tools, as well as careers at legal services and community-based organizations, state public health departments and the Centers for Disease Control.

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Julia serves on the boards of Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates, the Historic District Development Corporation, Neighborhood Nexus, and is a past Co-President of the Council of Intown Neighborhood Schools (CINS).  She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Child Protection and Advocacy Section of the State Bar of Georgia and the Gate City Bar Association and holds a Law Degree from Emory University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan.  She lives with her family in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic District of Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta.