Julie Elzanti is a director in the Office of Foundation Relations at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. From 2013-2016, she was the dean of continuing education at Heartland Community College (HCC) where she oversaw administration of a broad range of credit and noncredit programs. From 2011-2013, she was the executive director of the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN), a statewide organization which supports sustainability initiatives at all 48 Illinois community colleges. Prior to those roles, Elzanti held positions as a director of college partnerships for IGEN, coordinator of the Green Institute at HCC, program manager of community education at HCC, adjunct faculty in biology at HCC, and also as assistant director, membership chair and energy coordinator at the Ecology Action Center in Normal.

She holds a master's degree in conservation biology from Illinois State University and a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Illinois.