Julie Roberts serves as the Director of Policy Research for Complete Tennessee. In this role, Julie coordinates research activities that highlight challenges to student completion and foster community accountability. The annual State of Higher Education in Tennessee report is the culmination of these diverse research initiatives.

Before joining Complete Tennessee, Julie had an impressive tenure with Tennessee State University (TSU). Julie began working at TSU in 2003, and most recently served as Director of Academic Success Services and Learning Support Centers. In this role, she directed and supervised the operations of targeted student success initiatives with a keen emphasis on completion. She led and implemented initiatives that sought to improve completion rates at the institution, including organizational restructuring, block-scheduling programs for first-year students, course development for academically at-risk students, accelerated degree program scholarships, and a collaborative degree-audit system.

Julie is currently completing a Ph.D. in Public Administration at TSU, where she focuses her research on the motivations of interjurisdictional collaboration between city governments. She also holds an MBA from TSU, as well a Bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish with a minor in International Studies from University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

Julie is active in multiple professional associations, regularly presents on collaboration and student success, and does her part to support academic achievement and completion as a tnAchieves mentor at Stratford High School in Nashville.