The University of Washington Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) is proud to announce that Julia Jannon-Shields, ’21, will receive the 2026 OMA&D Spark Award. The OMA&D Spark Award honors a recent UW graduate whose diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership has made significant contributions to advancing equity on campus and in the community.
Julia Jannon-Shields was nominated for the Spark Award by Megan Herzog Brown, Director of Student Services in the College of Built Environments, in recognition of the clarity of Julia’s values and the depth of her impact:
“Julia consistently leads with justice as her north star. She grounds every decision in her core values of justice, community and accountability and is known for engaging in challenging conversations with care. Julia has made a lasting impact at the University of Washington, and since graduating, she has applied her skills to make an even broader impact in our region. Her voice is compelling and important.”– Megan Brown, Director of Student Services, College of Built Environments.
Julia Jannon-Shields is a culturally responsive community planner, strategist, and equity-focused practitioner whose work bridges public policy, community development, and inclusive engagement. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area in a multiracial, multicultural family, lived understanding of equity long before she encountered formal frameworks to describe it.
Rooted in Experience: Julia’s Path to Equity
Julia was raised in the diverse communities of the San Francisco Bay Area by a mother from Rhône-Alpes, France, and an African-American father from Cleveland, Ohio. In her young life, she was influenced by both French and Black American culture, as well as the multiculturalism of her broader community. Julia shared,
“Equity was something I understood before I had words for it. As a multiracial child growing up in the Bay Area, I saw firsthand how important representation, access, and community really are.”
The Bay Area’s technological boom was influential as well. As the sector expanded and companies began to establish a significant local footprint, Julia watched as the industry reshaped her hometown at the great expense of the local community. “That was the moment it all clicked,” Julia recalled. “I realized how much power planning has, to either harm or heal communities.”
When Julia’s college admissions assessment matched her with the University of Washington with an alignment score of 99 out of 100, her curiosity was piqued. Despite having never been to Seattle, she decided to apply. When she arrived in Seattle for the admitted student preview, the area reminded Julia of two places that were important to her: Rhône-Alpes, France, and the Bay Area. This kinship with communities she felt connected to helped make Seattle and the UW feel like home for the new student.
Julia originally intended to pursue journalism and environmental justice. However, her growing awareness of how policy, planning and development shape lived experience in underrepresented communities led her to the College of Built Environment’s Community, Environment & Planning program. As she came to understand how Seattle’s history had been shaped by redlining, displacement and uneven investment, her interest in collaborative and inclusive planning deepened.
“Redlining, redistricting and zoning were fascinating. I came to understand that the lack of community engagement I witnessed growing up was planned and intentional. It was then that it all clicked that this is what I want to do.” – Julia Jannon-Shields, 2026 OMA&D Spark Award Recipient.
Leadership and Belonging Through OMA&D
Julia’s involvement in the UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) was a defining part of her Husky experience, providing resources and support as well as a framework for understanding institutional equity work. Julia was an Educational Opportunity Program student and deepened her connections with her peers and the university through OMA&D programs. Julia also served as a Multicultural Outreach & Recruitment (MOR) Student Ambassador, working directly with prospective students and families from historically underrepresented communities to navigate pathways to college. In her time at MOR, Julia helped define and shape recruitment practices informed by identity and lived experience, building trust and connection to broaden access for students who were traditionally excluded from higher education. Julia recently shared the impact MOR has had in the community and in her student experience at MOR’s 25th Anniversary celebration.
Today, these insights into how institutions can build relationships with intention have become foundational to Julia’s leadership. Her experiences in OMA&D helped shape the values she continues to carry into every space she engages in – community first, transparency always, and equity in every decision. It was Julia’s courage, integrity, and relationship-based approach that elevated her equity work beyond procedure and process and into impact and transformation.
“Julia Jannon-Shields is an engaged community leader whose values and vision inspire meaningful change. Her work shows what is possible when equity, voice and belonging guide our systems. Julia exemplifies the spark we strive to recognize – an emerging leader shaping the future of our region and opening pathways for many others to follow”. – Rickey Hall, Vice President for Minority Affairs & Diversity.
Building Forward | Expanding Inclusion in Design Education
Julia was a changemaker in the College of Built Environment’s student-directed Community, Environment and Planning program. Each week, students gathered in governance meetings to build and shape their curriculum, culture and community. When George Floyd was murdered, his death served as a profound catalyst that forced institutions and communities alike to confront long-standing inequities and commit more deeply to the work of racial justice. The College of Built Environments was no exception to this examination.
Julia and her Community, Environment and Planning cohort pressed departments to broaden their understanding and definition of community and to welcome and encourage the engagement of students who have been historically underrepresented in the built environment fields. Influenced by MOR’s community-based practices, Julia advocated for more culturally responsive practices and helped make the case that inclusive design education must begin with inclusive educational spaces. This period marked a significant shift for the College of Built Environments. Programs across urban planning, landscape architecture, real estate, and architecture were asked to imagine a future in which everyone could see themselves reflected. Julia’s leadership served as a grounding force for change, welcoming generative conversation among leaders and peers alike and demonstrating the impact students and community members can have when working together to advance inclusion.
Forging Forward | Advancing Equity in Community Planning
Today Julia builds systems that ensure diverse voices are included in decision-making. She has held positions within King County, including serving as Community Engagement & Policy Advisor, Community Engagement and Co-Creation Program Specialist in the Executive Office of Equity, Racial & Social Justice, and the inaugural Regional Planning Equity & Engagement Program Manager within the Executive Office of Performance, Strategy & Budget. As Program Manager, Julia led efforts to establish an Equity Advisory Body for the Comprehensive Plan and guided culturally responsive engagement across complex civic systems.
Julia’s work extends nationally through her contributions as a Project Partner with the BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, where she helped design learning spaces that honor Black culture, protect community heritage, and champion design practices rooted in trust and co-creation for clients such as the American Planning Association. She also supports regional transformation as a member of the Board of Delegates for Homestead Community Land Trust.
Transportation Equity | A Geography of Opportunity
Julia invites the community to view transportation not just as a technical system, but as a geography of opportunity that shapes access to education, health, wellness, employment, safety and stability. She has been influential in showing how transportation justice sits at the intersection of lived experience, community well-being and the structural forces that shape cities.
Julia’s exploration of transportation equity deepened in 2021 when she joined the City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation (SDOT)’s Transportation Equity Workgroup as a community member. Since then, she has been recognized as a 2022-23 Transportation Justice Fellow with the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and as a speaker for New York City DOT’s 2024 Equity in Motion Summit. Julia serves as co-chair of the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC)’s Equity Advisory Committee, helping to embed racial equity into long-range planning and policy decisions. PSRC’s Equity Advisory Committee was recognized by the Office of the Governor of Washington State with the 2024 Washington Governor’s Smart Communities Award for their Equity Pilot Program for regional transportation funding. This year, Julia will be returning to SDOT, this time as a staff member, to launch a new program and team dedicated to ensuring SDOT’s long-range work is equitable and community-driven.
Julia remains connected to her UW and OMA&D roots. She served on the UW Alumni Association’s Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP) Board of Directors, providing scholarships to underserved students, and continues to serve as a speaker and presenter for OMA&D programs. speaker and presenter for OMA&D programs.
Julia sees Seattle’s rapid growth as an opportunity to engage more deeply with the community to ensure the city is truly serving all who call it home. “Planners are required to ask for community input, and that input has the power to shape everything,” Jannon-Shields said. “We’re living in a time where our region is growing fast. That creates both risk and opportunity. My work is about making sure equity and belonging are built into regional growth.”
OMA&D is honored to recognize Julia Jannon-Shields with the 2026 Spark Award at OMA&D’s Spark Social Reception on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Julia will also serve as a presenter at OMA&D’s 55th Annual Celebration on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. To learn more, join the OMA&D’s event mailing list.
Mark Your Calendars:
- OMA&D’s Spark Social: Celebrating Leadership and Community, April 9, 2026
- OMA&D’s 55th Annual Celebration Gala, May 20, 2026
More information and registration coming soon.