Meet Julia

Woman standing outdoors drinking coffee in cold weather

Julia Solomon has twenty years of experience facilitating group dialogue and planning processes for nonprofits, universities and governments. With an undergraduate degree in ecology and a master’s degree in conservation biology and sustainable development, she brings a scientifically grounded, interdisciplinary approach to projects. Throughout her career, she has worked extensively in the fields of land and water conservation, land use planning, sustainability planning and community engagement. Julia is the founder of Shadbush Consulting, LLC, a New York State certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE).

Julia's work as a facilitator is shaped by her lifelong commitment to social justice and her early experiences working in the Navajo community of Dzilth-Na-O-Dith-Hle, New Mexico and the town of El Sauce, Nicaragua. She lives in the town of Red Hook, New York, where she serves as a member of the Town Board. Julia is inspired by the work of leaders such as Peter Forbes, Priya Parker, Otto Scharmer, Adam Kahane and Frances Westley. Outside of work, you are likely to find her reading, cooking, tending her garden, hiking, canoeing or cross-country skiing, preferably in the company of her family.

Selected Projects

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Supported development of a $500,000 re-grant program for Connecticut Land Conservation Council to fund climate-smart stewardship of protected lands.
Developed an evaluation strategy for the Hudson Valley Flood Resilience Network.
Led development of a climate action strategy for Mohonk Preserve and helped secure financial support from private and public funders.
Wrote strategic documents and built partner support for a new $8M streamside land acquisition program in New York City's drinking watershed.
Convened land trusts in the Lake Michigan watershed to identify common goals and establish a structure for collaborative partnership.

UNIVERSITIES

Co-led development of McGill University’s first campus-wide sustainability strategy. Designed a community-driven process that engaged more than 1,000 people. Facilitated engagement sessions, wrote strategy documents and secured support of university leaders.
Convened and facilitated a multi-stakeholder working group to resolve conflict around bicycling on McGill University's campus, resulting in a 'shared space' approach.
Led visioning sessions for academic leaders in the University of Wisconsin’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies as part of institutional review and rebranding.

GOVERNMENTS

Coordinated a multi-stakeholder process to review and revise the legal code of the Town of Red Hook, New York to enhance protection of water, soil and forest resources.
Initiated and sustained partnerships between Wisconsin state government officials and academic researchers to improve invasive species management outcomes and efficiently allocate funding.

Testimonials

"Working with Julia, I was struck by the wisdom and empathy she brought to a project with many different voices and opinions. In addition to being one of the best communicators I've ever worked with, Julia excelled at interpreting complex situations and strategizing pathways to get us from that complexity to a successful conclusion."

-Dr. Elena Bennett, Professor, McGill University

"Julia finds common ground and provides an environment where all parties are heard. Her strategic approach and team leadership skills helped our partnership of disparate organizations succeed."

-Abbie D., project partner

"Julia is an experienced and accomplished thought leader in the conservation field. She not only understands the nuances of conservation work; she also knows how to work with and build cohesive and collaborative teams. Her secret superpower is her ability to facilitate group conversations, creating a safe space to have deeper discussions about challenging issues."

- Kevin Case, President & CEO, Mohonk Preserve

"Julia is a consistent and clear communicator; the trickier the project, the more thought and care she puts into the work. Julia can convene folks from all kinds of backgrounds and viewpoints to accomplish large and small projects, and she is able to deftly move groups to collaborative and timely conclusions."

- Sarah Imboden, former Town Councilmember, Red Hook, NY