DeAnna Julian came on board as Frazer Center's new CEO on July 15, 2024. She recently moved from Albany where she was Executive Director of The Arc of Southwest Georgia. She is a fierce advocate for people with disabilities and for inclusive early education.
To help us get to know her, we asked her a few questions:
1) Where did you grow up, and how did you get into the disabilities field?
I was born in Albany, but moved to Texas when I was 1. We moved back and forth between Texas, Georgia, and Florida, then finally landed in Albany at age 13. I was pretty close to a cousin who had a disability. He passed away when we were in our late 20s.
After high school I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. I went to UGA and was pre-med, thinking that I wanted to be a pediatrician. One summer I worked as a lifeguard and camp counselor at Camp Will-a-Way in Jefferson, Georgia. It’s an all-accessible inclusive camp that supports adults with disabilities. I just fell in love with the participants.
While I was at UGA, my grandfather had cancer. My grandparents pretty much raised me, and I came home to help out. When my grandfather passed away, I just couldn’t leave my grandmother, so when I was ready to return to college, I decided to commute to Georgia Southwestern in Americus.
One of the girls I had worked with at Camp Will-A-Way was going to school for special education, and I thought, you know what? That’s what I’m going to do! I went on to get a Master of Education and Transition Services at the University of Kansas.
2) What was your career path to becoming Frazer’s CEO?
For ten years I taught students with moderate, severe, and profound intellectual disabilities at Lee County High School in south Georgia. Then I became their transition coordinator and lead teacher, and that’s where I became involved with The Arc of Southwest Georgia. I joined their board of directors as an opportunity to get to know what resources were available for my students after they graduated—because there was a lack of resources, and I didn’t want students graduating and sitting at home on the couch.
I became very active on The Arc’s board. Eventually an opportunity presented itself when they were in need of an executive director. So I came on as deputy director with a transition plan to move into the executive director position.
It was a chance to advocate on a bigger platform for people with disabilities across the state. My focus became—how do you make a difference and how do you be the person that has an impact on change in the State for people with disabilities?
While I was the Executive Director of The Arc of Southwest Georgia, we were expanding our child development center and becoming licensed. I had an opportunity to visit the Frazer Center and met Paige [McKay Kubik, former CEO]. I just fell in love with the people, the location, the grounds, the mission, and vision here.
And so when I heard this opportunity was open, I decided to take a chance and move.
3) How do you feel about living in Atlanta?
I love the culture. I love the hustle and bustle, I love the opportunities for different experiences.
My parents are in Peachtree City, and I’ve spent a lot of time in Atlanta through advocacy. All of our state agencies are here, so I’ve attended multiple conferences and meetings, and participated in advocacy at the capitol. I have developed great, long-lasting friendships here.
But it’s definitely an adjustment coming from a more rural area. I think the biggest challenge is just navigating traffic and deciding where to land permanently.
4) You are the president-elect of SPADD—Service Providers Association for Developmental Disabilities. Tell us about that.
My presidency is a two-year term that begins in July of 2025.
We are a board of people from all across the state. Provider agencies, like Frazer, are members. We are the legislative advocacy group that has a voice at the State. We have lobbyists that help plan our legislative agenda for each session. We gather input from providers, parents, from individuals themselves, and develop a legislative strategy and really look at what needs to be implemented for change.
For the past two years, our biggest push at legislation has been getting our Direct Support Professionals the wages and support they deserve for the essential work they do. There is also a lot of work around employment for people with disabilities.
I would love to see our adult participants go to the capital as self-advocates. I can tell a story, but when our individuals and the people we support are able to tell their stories, it’s much more impactful.
5) Is there anything specific that you’d like to see change in our society that would positively impact the lives of people with disabilities?
More of an open mindedness and a willingness to see people for who they are. For people to be kind, and also a little patient, and to realize that everybody has a story to tell. Everybody has attributes and abilities, and we just sometimes need to be a little bit patient to see those.
Inclusion matters. We all want to be treated equally, and everybody has a right to do what they want to do and achieve the best they can in life.
6) What excites you about your future with Frazer Center?
Frazer Center embodies everything that I love—education, developing minds, watching children grow, as well as supporting adults with disabilities and advocating for inclusion. I’m excited to continue upon the legacy that has been built here of creating inclusive communities, expanding upon the unique assets of the Frazer Forest and Cator Woolford Gardens. And continuing to cultivate a really diverse group of adults and children we support, as well as our team. I really think we have great opportunities to expand upon our uniqueness and our inclusivity.
7) What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a better leader?
Lead by example. Be a servant and a compassionate leader, but also be able to have those crucial conversations—because when you have relationships with people, those conversations are better received because they’re coming from the heart, not out of spite or punitive discipline.
My favorite boss—Kathryn Wooten, the Special Education Director for most of my tenure with Lee County Schools—was a force to be reckoned with when it came to advocating for students, and inclusion for students with disabilities. She really taught me about knowing my worth and how important fairness and compassion are. Kathryn was definitely tenacious when it came to advocacy, but fair and compassionate when it came to supporting teachers and students.
8) What do you love to do when you’re not working?
I love anything outdoors. Hiking, biking, water sports, time with friends and family. I am definitely an outdoorsy girl.
I follow Secret Atlanta on Instagram (@secret_atlanta), so I’m constantly pinning things that I want to experience. I love jazz and acoustic music. I’m also a foodie, so I’m looking forward to exploring Atlanta’s culinary offerings.
I love my two children! My daughter is 22. She graduated from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro with a degree in Kinesiology and Allied Health. She’s taking a gap year before going back to school to become a physician’s assistant. My son is 20, and he is a professional welder, traveling the states with his work.
I also love hanging out with my dog, Lexi. She’s a 5-year-old Australian-German Shepherd mix. Lexi went to work with me almost every day at The Arc. I’m not sure yet if she can come with me to Frazer. She’s voice-command trained, and she’s really good with children and others who might be a little skittish around dogs. We’ll see.
If you would like to help welcome DeAnna to Atlanta and the Frazer community, she is at d.julian@frazercenter.org.