Julie Captain, CFRE, CAP

About Me

Julie Captain’s more than twenty year career in healthcare philanthropy is the natural culmination of being raised by two nurses and studying the life sciences and music in college. These experiences fostered her passion for creatively and analytically matchmaking grateful individuals with the needs of the organization she serves.

Prior to her time at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, she invested nearly 19 years at Northwestern Medicine in a variety of roles, most recently serving as Director of Development and Planned Giving at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, co-leading their $150 million Our Legacy. Our Future. campaign. She also spent time at the former Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in the early years of the Advance Human Ability campaign.

For one enlightening year, Julie also spread her wings outside of healthcare by serving as Senior Regional Development Director for Conservation International, a US charity based in Arlington, Virginia that creates healthy sustainable economies and healthy communities around the world through the conservation of natural resources.

Julie’s professional forte is in creative gift planning and has been heavily involved with the Chicago Council on Planned Giving throughout her career. She joined the Board of Directors in 2007, has participated on numerous committees and served as its President from 2011-2013. Julie has also been active in her community, serving her faith community at First Congregational Church of Evanston and on the Evanston Community Foundation board from 2010 – 2013. She completed Leadership Evanston in 2011.  

Julie lives in Evanston with her children and when not fulfilling professional responsibilities, she relishes every moment of being their soccer/volleyball mom, staying active and patronizing the arts.