Julia Leitner

Julia Leitner has over a decade of experience organizing and training for labor and electoral campaigns. She is currently Close the Gap’s Director of Recruiting. Previously, she was the Director of Training with Arena, an organization that convenes, trains, and supports the next generation of progressive candidates and campaign staff. She joined Arena in 2018 and advised first-time candidates running for state legislature and Congress around the country. Julia then co-created and managed Arena Academy, an intensive training program that has graduated over 2,000 current and future campaign staffers. She served as a Senior Advisor on Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign. She was Training Director for Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 campaign in California and ran a unique distributed organizing and training program. She has also organized with SEIU, UAW, Hillary for America 2016, Tom Udall for Senate 2008, and coffee farmers in Colombia. Julia has developed and led trainings for campaigns, advocacy organizations, and labor unions. She currently serves on the board of California Women’s List and also recruits women to run for state legislature through Close the Gap CA. Julia earned her bachelors degree at Harvard and Masters of Public Affairs at the Goldman School of Public Policy.