It is our pleasure to feature new Town & Gown member Julie Gorzik, a welcome addition to our T&G “family.” Julie was born and grew up in Whitter, California, attended La Serna High School in Whittier and completed her bachelor’s degree in English/Communications at Chapman University. Julie’s experience includes working at Platt College as Registrar and Career Guidance and Community Relations Manager. The director of Platt College asked Julie to represent the college as a volunteer for the American Heart Association, a position which involved planning fundraising and social events for the association. Julie says, “I enjoyed my volunteer work so much that I began looking for a full- time position that would allow me to use these fundraising skills.” In 1998, she applied for a job at Chapman University to join the event planning team with the University Advancement Department. One of her assignments was to help raise funds for a new building for the film school. This building is now Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

Soon the Dean of the Film School, Bob Bassett, hired Julie to work exclusively for his department as their first Event Specialist, one of the highlights of her time at Dodge. Other special Chapman experiences have included inviting industry professionals to the college to share their skills and expertise with the students as she planned dinners, panel presentations, meetings with current and former students, and film screenings with various film directors, editors, writers, cinematographers, producers, etc. She also assisted students and alums with entering their films into film festivals, introducing them to other filmmakers during the Sundance Film Festival.

Julie commented: “One of the most rewarding parts of my time working at the film school was the opportunity to meet and keep in touch with many talented young students who are now hard-working and successful adults in the film and communications industry. After the Pandemic ended, I needed to make a career change, but I did not want to leave Chapman University. Four years ago, I joined the staf at the Hilbert Museum as their Ofice and Events Manager. I love working at the museum because I enjoy meeting new people and sharing my love of art with visitors of all ages and places. Having a job surrounded by beautiful art all day brings me joy, and I love that I found a position where I can still be a part of the Chapman family.”

In her life outside Chapman, Julie is the proud mother of 2 children, both in their 40’s. Her son and his wife live in Glendale, California, and have two daughters: (Ellie Rose, 6 years and Lila Meadow, born 5-20-25). Her son Kyle graduated from Dodge College and works as a cinematographer/video gaming camera director, a job which takes him to various locations in Southern California and other countries. His wife, Courtney, is a costume designer who works mainly in Los Angeles. Julie and her daughter Kacie own a home in Orange, and Kacie works as an accountant for a major high-end car rental company in Costa Mesa. Kacie is also a very talented cookie/cake baker, and her hobby is baking and decorating theme-related cookies for birthdays and holidays.

Julie’s own hobbies include working on her family ancestry and creating Shutterfly books about her family and her vacation travels. She and her partner love to travel and often take vacations to his cabin in Colorado. They also like taking long hikes and bike rides on various trails through the countryside. However, Julie says her favorite thing to do is “spend time with my growing family and our close friends. The experiences we share make me so very happy.”

Welcome, Julie – we look forward to sharing our mutual dedication to Chapman University through Town and Gown!