Stasch Julia

Julia Stasch

Former President, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Julia Stasch is the immediate past president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, one of the nation’s largest philanthropies. With a broad background of leadership in the business, government, and social sectors, she joined the Foundation in 2001 to lead major programs in the United States. She served as the Foundation’s President for five years prior to stepping down in 2019.  During that time, she narrowed the Foundation’s programmatic focus for greater impact through big bets in areas such as criminal justice and climate change. She oversaw the development of the breakthrough $100 million 100&Change competition and Lever for Change, MacArthur’s nonprofit affiliate that helps philanthropists source vetted, high-impact philanthropic opportunities, where she now serves as chair of the board.

Previously, Stasch served as chief of staff to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley; commissioner of housing for the City of Chicago; president of ShoreBank Chicago Companies, including ShoreBank, the nation’s first community development bank; deputy administrator of the 20,000-person U.S. General Services Administration in the Clinton administration, and president and COO of Chicago-based real estate development firm, Stein & Company. 

She is a board member of P33, a private sector-led effort to drive inclusive tech and innovation leadership in Chicagoland, experiential education innovator Embarc, and HIRE360, which is working to strengthen and diversify the construction industry. Previous appointments include Philanthropy Executive in Residence at the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Distinguished Nonresident Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro at the Brookings Institution.  

Stasch is a summa cum laude graduate of Loyola University Chicago and holds a master's degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.