Julie has served as the Director of the New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners and Directors (NEACWCD) since 1994. In this role she creates and manages an agenda that reflects the vision and policies of the Association's members, the leaders, and staff of the public child welfare agencies in the New England States. Ms. Springwater serves as a resource to Association member agencies on child welfare policy and practice issues and leads child welfare transformation efforts in the region.

Prior to joining the Association, Julie spent 20 years in a variety of positions in the public sector. Ms. Springwater is on the faculty of Boston University's School of Social Work where she teaches courses in human service management and strategic management. She is active in community and nonprofit organizations nationally and regionally. She is a past Chair of the Board of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), where she also served as Vice Chair and chair of the governance committee. She is an at large member of the Advisory Board of Massachusetts Association for Families and is a member of the Board of USA Gymnastics where she chairs the Safe Sport Committee.