Professional Bio
Julie Drizin was executive director of Current from 2015 - 2025. There, she launched many initiatives including "Local that Works," "Rising Stars," "Made Possible By" podcast, "Exit Interviews," "I am Public Media," Public Media Virtual Career Fairs, and the Public Media Job Description Depot.
Julie previously served as Director of the Journalism Center on Children and Families at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, where she taught undergraduates, supported reporters on the kid's beat nationwide, produced the Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism awards contest and gala. She organized an Aspen Institute gathering about "Race and Journalism in the 21st Century" which included many public media journalists. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/RCC_Reporting_on_Race-21st_cen.pdf
She has worked in and around journalism, talk radio and public media for three decades, including stints with WETA, WXPN, AIR, World Vision Report, National Center for Media Engagement, and J-Lab.
Julie came to Washington DC to work for Pacifica, first as News Director for the nightly Pacifica Network News, then founding Executive Producer of Democracy Now!, and finally as EP for all Pacifica National Programming.
Julie was founding Senior Producer for NPR’s Justice Talking, a program featuring debates on constitutional issues.
As a journalist she reported from the 1995 UN Conference on Women in China. In 1991, she joined a cohort of public radio journalists to post-Soviet Russia, Ukraine and Georgia and co-produced a documentary about Soviet women and sexuality for the now-defunct public radio series "Soundprint." She regularly filed radio stories from Philly for a national multicultural newsmagazine called "Crossroads." Her first taste of radio was as a newscaster on Penn's student radio. Upon graduation, she landed the job that launched her career: News and Public Affairs Director at WXPN.
Julie previously served as Director of the Journalism Center on Children and Families at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, where she taught undergraduates, supported reporters on the kid's beat nationwide, produced the Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism awards contest and gala. She organized an Aspen Institute gathering about "Race and Journalism in the 21st Century" which included many public media journalists. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/RCC_Reporting_on_Race-21st_cen.pdf
She has worked in and around journalism, talk radio and public media for three decades, including stints with WETA, WXPN, AIR, World Vision Report, National Center for Media Engagement, and J-Lab.
Julie came to Washington DC to work for Pacifica, first as News Director for the nightly Pacifica Network News, then founding Executive Producer of Democracy Now!, and finally as EP for all Pacifica National Programming.
Julie was founding Senior Producer for NPR’s Justice Talking, a program featuring debates on constitutional issues.
As a journalist she reported from the 1995 UN Conference on Women in China. In 1991, she joined a cohort of public radio journalists to post-Soviet Russia, Ukraine and Georgia and co-produced a documentary about Soviet women and sexuality for the now-defunct public radio series "Soundprint." She regularly filed radio stories from Philly for a national multicultural newsmagazine called "Crossroads." Her first taste of radio was as a newscaster on Penn's student radio. Upon graduation, she landed the job that launched her career: News and Public Affairs Director at WXPN.
Media Professional
Name Pronunciation
Drih-zihn
Current Editor Corps
No