Julie Carson’s contagious enthusiasm and boundless energy, coupled with her love for her hometown of Tulsa, have helped her carve out a meaningful role at The University of Tulsa. Never one to sit still, Carson (J.D. ’97) leads and assists with multiple community initiatives related to the university and now will serve as chair for Tulsa Mayfest 2025.
Carson returned to Tulsa in 2022 after her husband, Brad, was named 21st president of UTulsa. An attorney, and former regent on the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Carson enthusiastically began working to support his vision for the university. Carson, too, has goals, and improving the lives of people in the community is at the top.
“It has been an amazing honor and privilege to come back to Tulsa – as a graduate of the University of Tulsa’s College of Law – and reengage with this incredible university,” she said. “I believe that The University of Tulsa truly is the heart of Tulsa, and I’m thrilled to take on the role of ensuring that the university and its many component entities and affiliations, such as Gilcrease Museum, Mayfest, FabLab, and the amazing Hardesty Arts and Humanities facility at 101 Archer in the Tulsa Arts District, work together to deepen the university’s ties and commitment to the greater Tulsa community.”
Before moving back to Oklahoma, the Carsons resided in the Washington, D.C., area for a little over a decade, where Julie was well-established in her career as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Defense. During her tenure at DoD, Carson worked her way up to become the deputy director of the Congressionally mandated task force established by the Secretary of Defense in 2012 to study and make recommendations for improvements to federal law and policy related to military sexual misconduct. Carson’s leadership and management experience with such a difficult and sensitive issue coupled with her passion for the Tulsa community, made her a natural fit to serve as the community liaison for UTulsa.
The university’s Heart of Tulsa initiative calls upon students and campus organizations to partner with more than 100 programs throughout Tulsa – from art and enlightenment to research and economic development. “We want to be seen as a welcoming place and embraced by the community,” Carson said. “I decided that is the best way I could help: by serving as the liaison for all the forward-facing groups.”
Volunteering her time, Carson has an office in the administration building, where she can be in close contact with staff and students. While her role on campus is multifaceted, much of her time is currently focused on two initiatives: chairing Mayfest, Tulsa’s long-running arts and music festival, and spearheading UTulsa’s United Way campaign.
The university took over Mayfest in January 2022 and had just 90 days to plan and execute the festival’s 50th year. “My assigned task at Mayfest 2023 was running the Kids’ Zone,” Carson said. “I had never done anything like that before. It was a bit of a trial by fire, but it turned out great, and I loved doing it!”
For Mayfest 2024, Carson expanded and rebranded the Kids’ Zone as Kids’ World. The expanded function included housing both the experiential children’s activities together with the Youth Art Gallery, which displayed over 100 fantastic artworks created by Tulsa area K-12 students, inside the 101 Archer building. This change offered more space for families to cool off and enjoy the many activities.
“We are now in the middle of creating a Mayfest fundraising plan for Mayfest 2025 to cover the incredibly high cost of producing this beloved Tulsa festival as a free and fabulous annual event,” Carson said. “We are also interested in adding a sustainability aspect to the festival, which is definitely needed.”
Carson has a long list of plans but not enough hours to implement them all on her own. “Anyone in the community who is interested in participating on the event planning team, we would love to have your help! We have so many ways that you can be involved with Mayfest as a volunteer, and they are detailed on the website along with a volunteer form.”
While chairing Mayfest is essentially a full-time job, Carson is also heading up the university’s Tulsa Area United Way campaign. This initiative, aimed at connecting those in need with impactful resources, aligns with her desire to support Tulsa’s populations in need and allow all Tulsans to reach their potential.
“As a university, we feel strongly about giving back,” Carson said. “We are fully committed to serving our neighbors, our community, and our city through our time, talents, and resources.”