Think Together Welcomes Julie Miller-Phipps to Board As Organization Triples in Size
by: Justine Mrsich
Published: April 22, 2024
Julie Miller-Phipps
SANTA ANA...Think Together, California’s leading nonprofit provider of school improvement, expanded learning and afterschool programs, announced the appointment of Julie Miller-Phipps of Huntington Beach to its Board of Directors. Julie, a seasoned leader with over 40 years of experience at Kaiser Permanente, brings a wealth of expertise and a passion for mission-driven work to the organization during a period of rapid growth.
Julie most recently served as President of Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii. In this role, she oversaw 16 hospitals and 80,000 employees responsible for the care of five million Kaiser Permanente members.
Since leaving her post, Julie has started her own strategic advising company, viewing it as her encore career. Now, she is eager to lend her skills and experience to organizations like Think Together.
“When I met Randy Barth, he shared with me his personal story about how he started Think Together, why it was started, what’s been accomplished so far, and what he and the board dream of accomplishing, and I was hooked," said Julie. "I thought this was exactly where I wanted to spend my time and energy. And, luckily, Randy felt like I could add value too. And, and here I am."
Think Together is in the midst of a multi-year growth cycle. In fiscal year 2023, the nonprofit grew by more than 70%. Since fiscal year 2021, the organization has tripled in size. With this sustained growth, Think Together continues to recruit purpose-driven talent and has since scaled its workforce to more than 6,000 full- and part-time staff members serving in school site and administrative roles.
What began as a single neighborhood center has grown into programs in over 675 California schools – from San Diego to San Francisco – serving over 200,000 students.
structure to support Think Together's continued expansion and impact to serve more students. She plans to use her experience to advise in four primary areas: rapid growth, redesigning infrastructure, maintaining culture and strengthening leadership.
“When I was introduced to Julie, I knew that she would be a tremendous asset to Think Together,” stated Think Together Founder and CEO Randy Barth. “I’m confident her remarkable career, wealth of knowledge, and mission-aligned spirit will benefit our organization and the students we serve.”
Coming out of the pandemic, the students Think Together serves face more obstacles than ever before. Educators are seeing more behavioral problems due to mental health challenges and the lack of social development during the pandemic. Academic performance across the country has dropped to levels not seen in 30 years. Students need programs like Think Together now more than ever.
“Julie is passionate about Think Together's mission to change the odds for kids and believes in the importance of forming public-private partnerships to achieve community goals,” added Barth. “Julie's appointment to the Think Together Board of Directors marks an exciting chapter for the organization as it continues its mission to empower underserved youth and build brighter futures for communities across Southern California.” Photo:ThinkTogether