Champion Profile: Julie Friedman Believes Families Matter at WorkAugust 18, 2008 |
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 Julie Friedman is the founder and director of Family Matters @ Work (FM@W), a nonprofit project funded by Community Partners. Friedman established FM@W last January after realizing that workforce development efforts often fall short in responding to the obstacles that can interfere, interrupt, or distract parents who are seeking jobs or wanting to be successful in the work place. The goal of FM@W is to build stronger families and strengthen the labor force in L.A. County by addressing the family demands.An L.A. native, Friedman received a master's degree in public health from Cal State University at Northridge and began her career as a health educator. For nine years, she headed the Los Angeles Times' employee Health and Family program and, among her many accomplishments at the Times, initiated a breastfeeding-friendly workplace. She paved the way for accessible "lactation stations" with breast pumps and on-staff lactation consultants provided for employees by the company. After leaving the Times, Friedman established a consulting practice, Growing Health Partnerships, where she worked on projects related to strategic planning, workforce development, health promotion and research and evaluation. She then shifted her focus to early childhood issues, enabling her to use her professional and personal experience raising twin boys, Aaron and Jacob, both of whom have developmental delays. After consulting, she became the initial executive director of Children's Hospital Los Angeles' Healthy Children-Healthy City Initiative, which addressed issues related to improving access to services for low-income families and served as the foundation for the Healthy City Project. She subsequently held the position of the executive director of the Early Childhood Parenting Center that offers parent-child groups and parent education community outreach programs. Her cumulative experiences encouraged her to start Family Matters @ Work, seeing how the conflicting demands of work and parenting can create major challenges for many families. Friedman lives in Malibu with her husband Robert and 11-year-old twin sons. Which book has most influenced your life? I was most influenced by The Little Engine That Could by Watty Pipper as the theme of not giving up when the odds seem against you and the mantra "I think I can" have been big motivators in my life. What is your favorite way to spend time with an important child or children in your life? I most enjoy hiking with my twins and making creative trail markers using rocks, pebbles, and twigs. What is the greatest challenge the children and families of LA County face today? Overcoming the isolation children and families face being disconnected from each other and their communities due to the geographic expanse of L.A. County, with its transportation obstacles and long commutes to work and school. Which living person do you most admire and why? I most admire my 83-year-old father who, despite his limitations due to aging and health challenges, continues to be one of the local library's best customers (the fatter the book the better), plays the piano, hikes (even with a bad knee), and uses humor to get through the day. Who was your favorite teacher and why? Mrs. Gutierrez, who was my fourth grade teacher at UCLA's University Elementary School. She helped build my confidence in learning, fostered my imagination and made school challenging and fun. |
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