Julie Phillips
President and Partner, Randle Communications
Julie Phillips had a good idea early on where her interests lie. After growing up in Roseville, she attended UC Davis as a political science major and got strongly involved with the Greek community there. She wasn’t interested in pursuing politics; public policy fascinated her instead. She liked the idea of agenda setting, communication and framing issues.
“The student government body at UC Davis is a fantastic breeding ground for folks who want to get into policy and politics because of the causeway” connecting it so close to the capital of California, says Phillips.
She was very active in the Associated Students of UC Davis. “It was not red and blue politics. It was ‘How are we going to spend budget dollars? How are we going to spend money updating the equivalent of our big cafeteria? How are we going to invest in our recreation center?’” she says.
“I was just very interested in why do people have the beliefs
that they have, how do they know what to care about? Why do they
get charged about interesting things?” – Julie Phillips
After college, she went through the Capital Fellowship program offered by Sacramento State and got to intern in the “horseshoe,” the nickname for the wing of the governor’s suite of offices at the state Capitol, under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I was very interested at the time in what is public affairs. Now I’m immersed in it,” she says.
The fellowship post led to a position with then-State Senator Mark Wyland, where she did policy and communications work. She heard him and others talk highly about an advisor he respected: Jeff Randle, CEO of Randle Communications, the top public relations firm in Sacramento. Phillips took a stab and applied to Randle, starting at the agency at age 24. “He (Randle) is very accomplished, and he’s so strategic. He’s the best at his craft.” Randle also believed in Phillips and saw her potential, challenging her and supporting her, she says.
“I think something that you can’t control is how long you’ve done something. You can’t control the experience that you bring, but what you can always control is the core of my ethic: how hard you’re working, how prepared you are. And that has always been successful.”
She started out doing strategic public relations and corporate communications, then public affairs. She worked on the digital side, but after her daughter Allison, now 4, was born, she moved to the business side of the firm. In March, Phillips was named president and partner of Randle Communications at age 35 and now manages the daily operations of the agency. “Our capabilities rival a national size firm because of investments we’ve made,” she says. Indeed, some of Randle’s clients include Covered California, Dignity Health, Golden 1 Credit Union, California Association of Realtors and California Family Fitness, among others.
“I’m so passionate about the clients that we work for. I’m passionate about what they do,” she says.
In her current role, Phillips helped Golden State Water Company, a statewide water agency, navigate challenging regulatory issues and public health emergencies and worked alongside the California Hospital Association on policy fights in the state legislature. She says she loves her work but equally enjoys supporting, growing and investing in her team members. She attributes her success to her motivation, discipline and curiosity.
“I was just very interested in why do people have the beliefs that they have, how do they know what to care about? Why do they get charged about interesting things?”
Phillips says she’s very into health, fitness and movement and enjoys walks with her children: Allison and 3-year-old son Landon. She strives for balance to her busy job, telling her boss when she’s not available or taking a break. Like many businesses post-pandemic, Randle downsized their office space, and her team goes into the office twice a week.
“I think having kids has been a super cool superpower,” she says. “I’ve become such a more empathetic, understanding, outward-looking leader.”
Get all the profiles in our Young Professionals issue delivered to your inbox: Subscribe to the Comstock’s newsletter today!
Recommended For You
![Lauren Oto oversees marketing and communications for both the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce, an organization representing Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned businesses around the state, and the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, which centers its efforts on the Capital Region. (Photos by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/oto_lead.png?1689278662)
Young Professionals: Lauren Oto
Meet the 10 young professionals who are rocking it in their careers and community
Oto oversees marketing and communications for both the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce, an organization representing Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned businesses around the state, and the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, which centers its efforts on the Capital Region.
![Nathan Langley is co-founder and CEO of RxGuardian, a company that develops and manufactures abuse-deterrent devices for safer medication storage. (Photos by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/langley_lead.png?1688767915)
Young Professionals: Nathan Langley
Meet the 10 young professionals who are rocking it in their careers and community
For Nathan Langley, entrepreneurship has meant integrating his drive to save lives with his passion for innovation and sales, and the synthesis has helped him succeed. “Everybody is different, and their experiences are different, but I would find it much more difficult to have overcome some of the challenges that we’ve faced over the years if it wasn’t something I believed in,” he says.
![Rhodes works for the City of Sacramento as its director of community engagement through Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s office. (Photos by Jayson Carpenter)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/chinua_final_.png?1688421596)
Millennial Management
Managers under 40 in the Capital Region draw from personal and professional experience to lead their teams
A cohort of leaders under the age of 40 making a difference in the Capital Region. What people like Rhodes lack in age and decades of professional accomplishments, they make up for with lessons learned through family and experiences.
![Ken Imwinkelried serves as senior vice president and senior credit manager for River City Bank and holds the No. 2 position for oversight of the bank’s $3.2 billion portfolio. (Photos by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/imwinkelried_lead.png?1688767347)
Young Professionals: Ken Imwinkelried
Meet the 10 young professionals who are rocking it in their careers and community
Ken Imwinkelried went to work for River City Bank around the time of the Great Recession. Logging extra time on nights and weekends, he learned everything he could about his profession at a very challenging time in the banking industry. And over the course of several years, his extra work paid off with promotion after promotion. But about five years ago, as Imwinkelried implored other staff to not stay too late, he realized he had to do the same.