Julie Kane has been the director of the Policy Office in the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) since 2018. As director, Julie collaborates with executive staff to develop and communicate the Department’s short- and long-term education policy agenda as well as recommend programs and initiatives impacting the commonwealth’s learners throughout the PreK-12, postsecondary, and career continuum for the Secretary of Education, other cabinet officials, and the Governor’s Policy Office. Prior to her role in the Policy Office, Julie served in the PDE Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education, where she successfully launched Pennsylvania’s first college credit transfer system and website (PAcollegetransfer.com), for which she was awarded a Governor’s Award for Excellence in 2020.  In total, Julie has nearly 30 years of policy experience in the private and public sector, with a focus on postsecondary access, success and affordability, and workforce development. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Development from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. Julie and her husband live in Shippensburg, PA with their four children.