Julie Nowicki              

BIOGRAPHY

Julie has been an animal lover since childhood, when she cared for a dog, cat, guinea pigs, a pony, birds…. Then she grew up and started a career that left little time for animals. Starting with a degree in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she worked in technology for six years until she realized she was really more interested in people than computers. She completed an M.S. in Human Factors at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst followed by 10 years of consulting in customer research and user-centered design, and served on the board of the Usability Professionals' Association.

From 1999 to 2002 Julie ran her own consulting company which had 13 employees at its peak. This experience gave her a great sense of financial management as well as marketing. In 2003 she accepted a position at Microsoft as a user research lead and program manager, where she created a learning framework for Windows Vista.

The move to Washington was a chance to bring animals into her life again -- Smitty, a greyhound who no one wanted, and Ash, an old female greyhound who was a racer and brood female for her entire life. Julie truly appreciated the amazing loyalty and joy of dogs for the first time, and found a special soft spot for the old ones. She spent a significant amount of time volunteering for OldDog Haven, fostering over a dozen old dogs, creating a fundraising plan, and setting up technology solutions for this fast-growing rescue organization. She also completed a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of Illinois.

In early 2008, Julie founded The Grey Muzzle Organization, a non-profit organization that helps improve the lives of older homeless dogs. She enjoys  applying her entrepreneurial, management, research, and non-profit skills to this endeavor, as well as her love of old dogs. She lives with Barry, her significant other (who keeps everyone laughing when it gets a bit crazy), and three old dogs.