Julie Baker is a seasoned arts and marketing professional. She is currently based in Nevada City, CA and in addition to running the statewide advocacy organizations for California is the owner of Julie Baker Projects, a full-service arts consulting firm. Prior to moving to California in 1998, Baker worked in New York City at several prominent art galleries as well as Christie’s auction house before becoming the President of her family’s art marketing agency, Gerngross & Company Inc. Following her move to California, she became a Senior Executive Producer for Tristream, a web development and marketing/branding company. From 2001-2009 she ran Julie Baker Fine Art, a gallery of emerging artists, and for 2 years co-founded Flow art fair in Miami, a satellite art fair to Art Basel Miami Beach. From 2009-2017, Baker served as the Executive Director of The Center for the Arts, a non-profit performing arts venue and California WorldFest, an annual music and camping festival in Grass Valley, CA.

Prior to becoming Executive Director of Californians For the Arts and California Arts Advocates in October of 2018, Baker served on the board for four years as chair of the membership committee and of Confluence, an arts advocacy conference. She also serves as the California State Captain to Americans for the Arts' National Arts Action Summit and is chair of the visibility committee for the State Arts Action Network. Baker also co-chairs the Western Arts Advocacy Network for WESTAF. Baker serves on the board of CHIRP, the non-profit established to preserve and protect California Indigenous Nisenan Culture and is a Community Advisory Council member for the Nevada County Relief Fund. She is also a candidate for the Nevada County School Board election of November, 2020.