Julie Burns founded Room to Grow in the fall of 1998. Prior to that, Julie worked as a psychotherapist in the Child and Adolescent division of the Karen Horney Clinic in New York. It was there where she developed the concept for Room to Grow, recognizing the profound need to engage parents living in low income circumstances with direct support and resources for their children right from the start. Julie received a Master's in Social Work from New York University and a Bachelor’s in Art History from the University of Michigan. Before embarking on a career in social work, Julie worked at Christie's, the auction house, in New York.