Julie Witte serves as the vice president of development and marketing for Easter Seals. Her responsibilities include monitoring a net development budget of over a million dollars, mentoring and supporting the marketing manager and directors of development in Peoria and Bloomington, and assessing agency-wide marketing needs and developing a marketing plan.

Beginning her career with Easter Seals in 2000 as development coordinator, after two years of mentorship, Witte was given the responsibilities of director of development. Her leadership and passion for Easter Seals’ mission became the cornerstone for building a remarkably successful development program. She recruited and worked side by side with volunteer committees for Wines and Polo on the Prairie, and the Easter Seals Golf Classic. Her unwavering passion and drive to never settle for mediocrity has helped build extraordinary results.

Witte’s passions encompass many other organizations in the Peoria community, especially the Children’s Hospital of Illinois. Her first experience with the Children’s Hospital was as a mother when her son, Christian, needed heart surgery seven days after he was born. After he healed and went home, Witte became forever tied to Children’s Hospital as a mentor to other parents of children born with congenital heart defects. She also serves as a fundraiser to help provide needed programs, services and equipment; as a member of the Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Board; and as a member of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Family Centered Care Committee.

She has served on the board of directors for The Organization for Understanding Children’s Hearts since 2007, participated in the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon for the past four years, and is a Children’s Miracle Network Foundation volunteer. Inspired by her son, Witte and her husband have also done work for the American Red Cross and American Heart Association.

Witte does not just sit on committees—she leads committees. Her enthusiasm and passion for everything in which she involves herself is contagious. She is not only greatly valued and respected—she is effective. iBi