Born in 1975 in Spartanburg, Julie comes from a long line of helpers, educators, and public servants. Her parents dedicated their careers to South Carolina’s public schools; both retired teachers, with her father also serving as a high school football coach for 43 years. Her paternal grandparents were also educators and community leaders. Her grandfather served on the Spartanburg County School Board and worked as an ophthalmologist, while her grandmother was a public school teacher. On her mother’s side, Julie’s Nana worked as a nurse’s aide, and her Granddaddy helped start the first volunteer fire department in Scranton, South Carolina. Together, they served their community as youth and church leaders throughout their lives. This legacy of service shaped Julie’s work ethic, compassion, and lifelong commitment to helping others.

Julie's roots stretch across South Carolina

4 Generations of Bouknight Woman, Family Reunion 1980, Pine Island on Lake Murray

From the Pee Dee to the Upstate and right here in District 71, Julie's story is grounded in South Carolina soil, with farming roots that run from Irmo to Scranton. Julie learned the values of hard work and helping neighbors as a way of life. Julie’s family on her Nana’s side, the Bouknights, settled and helped found the Dutch Fork area in 1781 after immigrating from Germany. Her Nana grew up in Irmo and graduated from Irmo High School, where Irmo Elementary now stands. With generational roots in District 71, Julie has always felt a connection to the land and the people. Today, after nearly 25 years of raising her daughter and being an active part of the community, Julie understands the realities families in District 71 face because she lives them every day.

A Proud Product of SC Public schools

1991 JV Saluda HS Cheerleaders

Julie graduated from Saluda High School and went on to attend the University of South Carolina Aiken, where she earned a degree in Sociology with the help of Pell Grants and public education loans. She later got her Master's Degree in in Clinical Mental Heath from South University. She believes deeply in the power of public education and that every child, regardless of economic status deserves access to a quality education, because education is the path to opportunity.

Julie learned the values of hard work and service early in life. As a child, she picked peanuts and vegetables with her granddaddy to share with neighbors in need. She later volunteered with Meals on Wheels in Florence County, The Cumbee Center, a domestic violence shelter in Aiken, South Carolina, and worked at Helping Hands, a home for children in the foster care system while attending college in Aiken. These experiences instilled what Julie calls her “helper’s heart.” 

Julie brings that same spirit to her work as a licensed therapist, where she continues to serve Medicaid clients. As a licensed therapist, Julie helps people navigate challenges and find solutions every single day, and she sees firsthand how gaps in access leave families waiting too long for care. Julie will continue to be a strong advocate for mental health access and programs across District 71 and South Carolina. She believes strongly that everyone should have access to a quality licensed professional, no matter their income or social status. It is a lifelong commitment to showing up for others, and Julie follows in the footsteps of her parents and grandparents by serving her neighbors and community with empathy and compassion.

From her first job at age 14 in a peach packing shed to working two jobs through college and graduate school, Julie understands what it means to stretch a budget and make hard choices at the kitchen table. With an 18-year career in straight-commission sales and now as a licensed therapist (LPC) in South Carolina, she brings a unique understanding of the pressures working families face because she has lived them herself.

Ready to send a fighter to the Statehouse?

In the State House, Julie will fight to expand school-based mental health supports, including more counselors and social workers in public schools, stronger partnerships between schools and community providers, and practical training for educators so students can get help earlier before challenges become crises. She supports well-established South Carolina programs that improve student outcomes, including school-based mental health services; pupil services programs, early intervention frameworks, and trauma-informed professional development for teachers.

In the House, Julie will also fight to expand healthcare access by integrating mental health into everyday care. She supports funding community clinics in District 71 to embed counselors and care coordinators alongside primary care, so families can get help for both mind and body in one place, without long waits or unnecessary barriers.

Julie is a dedicated supporter of the arts in public schools and the community. Her daughter attended Lexington–Richland 5 schools, where Julie supported her involvement in district chorus and the performing arts from elementary school through high school. Julie volunteered as a chorus chaperone on trips to Florida and Washington, D.C., and helped raise funds for her daughter’s high school performing arts programs. She continues to support the arts locally through her involvement with the Greater Irmo Arts Guild and the Irmo Christmas Parade, and she looks forward to becoming an official member of the Greater Irmo Arts Guild in 2026.

Food Drive at Moore Park, Irmo

As a community leader, Julie stepped up during the federal government shutdown in October 2025 when SNAP benefits were disrupted by the Trump administration. Families across District 71 began to worry about how they were going to feed their children. Julie understands this struggle because growing up, there were times when her family faced the same worries. Believing that access to food should never be used as a political tool and that no one should go hungry, Julie organized food and supply drives throughout the district in October and November. She founded Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a community action group that partnered with organizations like Sharing God’s Love and Senior Services at Seven Oaks Park. Together with volunteers, Neighbors Helping Neighbors hosted a Joy of Giving Drive that supported families and benefited the following organizations: Gifts for Grands, Epworth Children’s Home, Sharing God's Love, Macedonia Baptist Church, Senior Services at Seven Oaks Park, and Palmetto Place. The Joy of Giving Drive, held in December 2025. This event became a powerful example of what a community can accomplish when it comes together.

Julie leads with both empathy and strength. She believes differences are not barriers, but opportunities to build understanding and bring people together. She is a strong advocate for the rights of families and individuals to make their own decisions about their lives, their health, and their futures. Inspired by the lessons she learned growing up in Florence, Clarendon, and Saluda counties and by the grit her father instilled in her as a football coach, Julie will bring that same determination to the Statehouse.