Julie Stagliano

Julie Stagliano has been serving as President of Heartland International since October 2008.  She has a firm grounding in international development assistance with more than 20 years experience living and working overseas (primarily in West Africa).  Julie has served in senior management positions for Washington, D.C. area private sector companies  dedicated to health systems improvement and sustainable development. She was also involved in strategic business development efforts and managed contracts for the U.S. government and the World Bank.

After moving to Chicago, Julie directed the Chicago Sister Cities International Program, the largest program in the U.S. with more than 24 city partnerships.  Managing a staff of 10 and a volunteer corps of over 600, she engaged major decision-makers in Chicago, including city and state government officials and the corporate, civic, university, and non-profit sectors, in the development of new partnerships and collaborations.  Other professional accomplishments include serving as membership manager for a Chicago citizens advocacy organization and providing management services for an international theater arts/language program for high school students in Chicago, Casablanca and Amman. 

Julie served in the Peace Corps in Senegal, and lived there an additional five years with her family, participating actively in NGO service projects, working for USAID and writing a monograph on the culture and history of Senegal. 

Julie is fluent in English and French and has working knowledge of Italian and Wolof (lingua franca of Senegal) and some German. She is an active member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs; volunteers with the Casablanca Committee of Sister Cities; serves as a volunteer co-director of Chicago Shares, a program that provides meals for the homeless; and serves on the education committee of Chicago Opera Theater.