Deputy Director of the Virginia Department of Energy is the latest in our popular series.
Independent Women’s Forum is pleased to announce that Julianne Szyper, Deputy Director of the Virginia Department of Energy, is the latest entry in our popular series of Champion Women profiles.
Governor Youngkin appointed her deputy director to the Virginia DOE in July. She was previously chief of staff to Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.
“Governor Youngkin has made it crystal clear he is very supportive of an all-of-the-above approach and believes that this approach is something that contributed to Virginia’s being named America’s top state for business this year by CNBC.”
Szyper’s previous experience in lobbying makes her a natural for working with the legislature. She is well-known for founding the Virginia Conservative Women’s Coalition in 2022.
“One of the things I noticed from working on political campaigns and in conservative nonprofit spaces,” she tells IWF, “is that we didn’t have a lot of women who were right-of-center coming forward to get into politics. At the same time, I saw voters electing interesting female candidates if given the option.”
Szyper is a dedicated gardener and painter (mostly oil paintings). She is fluent in French, speaks some Italian, and is learning Polish. She delayed college to help her family. When she completed the requirements for a bachelor’s degree at the age of 45, she said, “You can let life’s challenges be like a 50 lb. backpack weighing you down and keeping you from moving forward, or you can use it as a stepping stool to reach higher.”
We know you’ll enjoy meeting Szyper and learning about what she does to benefit Virginia.
