971. A Vision for a Worldwide Classroom

Julie was implementing a half-million-dollar educational technology program in her school, and loving it. Then, her husband got an attractive promotion and transfer. Starting over in a bare-bones country school, where none of the furniture even matched, she knew she would have to ask for a computer. It was a request she never regretted. “I got a call one day from the Orange County office, asking me to come speak to them about a grant. About 15 minutes into the conversation, I asked, ‘Is this an interview?’ He said, ‘Yes. We are looking for a principal to lead a web high school.’ I accepted.” She had stepped onto the front lines of the emerging, web-based learning, expanding her horizons from the local school to students all over Florida.

Julie Young is Vice-President, Education Outreach and Student Services for Arizona State University and Managing Director of ASU Prep Academy and ASU Prep Digital. She is a leading voice for revolutionizing K-12 online education on the global stage. As the founding president and CEO of Florida Virtual School (FLVS), she and her team grew the organization from a handful of students in 1996 to a highly acclaimed online school using personalized, next generation learning solutions. Young and her team grew FLVS into a diversified, worldwide organization creatively serving over two million students in 50 states and 68 countries worldwide.