Julie Heath

Julie Heath is the inaugural Executive Director of IU Innovates at Indiana University, a system-wide initiative to support and accelerate entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs through student-led startup hubs, sponsorship of IU entrepreneurship resources, and impact storytelling.  Julie serves on the leadership council of ESHIP Alliance, a national network seed-funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to develop entrepreneurship ecosystems as model to drive economic health and community wellbeing in the United States.

Between 2021 and 2023, Julie developed the state of Indiana’s first entrepreneurship ecosystem strategy for Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers, which included new economic impact data and a statewide system of resource navigation. She has held leadership roles in two startups, a regional entrepreneur support organization, and in advanced manufacturing.

She began her career at the Smithsonian Institution, launching innovative initiatives such as the Lunder Conservation Center.