JULIA KARDIAN PROMOTED TO CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF ASA
We’re pleased to announce that Julia Kardian has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Athletes Serving Athletes.
Julia, who has been with ASA since its beginnings, started off as the organization’s bookkeeper and helped open its very first bank account. She was the only employee at the time, and worked 5 hours per week helping Dave Slomkowski bring the Athletes Serving Athletes vision to life.
“I remember being there when we first got the PO box keys, and Dave dumping out a grocery bag full of receipts on my dining room table so we could go over the finances together,” she recalled, looking back at how much the organization has grown since then.
After taking some time off to start a family, Julia returned to ASA after 7 years to consult for the organization’s increasingly popular annual race: RunFest. Armed with her experience managing the Hopes Heroes races in the past, she proved herself an asset to the team once again.
A few months later, Julia was welcomed back as ASA’s newest Athlete Manager. With her prior experience and established connections to the ASA community, families, and Athletes, it was the perfect fit.
After that, it wasn’t long before Julia took on the responsibilities of Special Events Coordinator in addition to her role as Athlete Manager. From there, she moved on to become the Director of Development. Julia had just handed off her role as Athlete Manager in order to focus on evolving the WingMan Program when the pandemic hit.
Despite the limits ASA faced during quarantine, Julia continued to lead the charge in cultivating community bonds and preparing for the future. Work-from-home orders and social distancing policies didn’t get in the way of things like improving communication strategies and creating Return to Group Run procedures. Most importantly, it didn’t stop her from finding new ways to elevate ASA Athletes’ lives.
“All of my roles from the beginning have prepared me for this,” she said. “I’ve worked in every possible part of ASA; I know it inside and out.”
We’re grateful to have a teammate like Julia, and we wish her the best of luck in her new role!