Julia Rundberg, executive director, City Club of Boise

When Julia Rundberg was a little girl, she lived in Morehead, Minnesota on 10 acres. The family had a garden and raised poultry. When the television set broke one day, Rundberg’s mother took it as a good thing – “there’s nothing good on television.” Rundberg says it was a different environment than that of her peers. “We were definitely the odd ones out.”

The end result was they spent more time reading, playing games and doing puzzles. And, “I grew up gardening,” Rundberg says. Fast forward to today – after several careers including in nonprofits, for the state of Minnesota’s Natural Resources, Parks and Rec and Parks and Trails departments, an almost 8-year stint with the Idaho Botanical Garden – and Rundberg has seemingly come full circle. Although, instead of doing puzzles, as executive director of City Club of Boise, she is turning to puzzles of a more philosophical bent.

And while it may seem that each of her endeavors is radically different from the others, Rundberg sees it differently.

“I understand the importance of a fair, calm, professional demeanor, including being a good listener and a critical thinker, when faced with stakeholders who are emotional and personally invested in an issue,” she says. And her success can be measured in the trust and respect she has earned in many instances, “such as finding a way for vastly different trail users, from motorized users to horse riders to hikers, to co-exist in a system.”

She says she has worked with and learned from the many individuals, organizations, and companies interested in a common purpose, “whether it be for a state park, or when maintaining and enhancing the Garden as a valued community resource, or in facilitating and supporting an effort to begin a discussion of civility and civil discourse as a project of the 20^th anniversary of the City Club of Boise,” Rundberg says. She values thoughtful planning, effective and targeted communication and measurable outcomes. “I have worked diligently to model and teach these core principals of accountability and fiscal management, and to motivate staff at all levels to apply project management skills in their day to day activities.”

In addition, Rundberg is a member of the Boise Master Chorale. “I have sung my whole life,” she says. So, becoming a member was one of the first things she looked into after coming to Boise. The nonprofit was struggling with how to finance day to day operations and management. “It was a continuing challenge,” Rundberg says. She was asked to join the board and co-chaired a planning process to facilitate a merger with the Boise Philharmonic, thereby creating a sustainable partnership. “Today, the Chorale is happily a part of the Boise Phil family, allowing singers a chance to sing rather than run an organization, and allowing the Phil to broaden their base of supporters and donors toward a shared goal of performance and appreciation for classical masterworks.”

Rundberg and her husband, Carl, enjoy camping, hiking, mountain biking and corss-country skiing. She also has “a fondness for the Tolkein series,” and loves popcorn so much, she sometimes has a bowl of it for dinner. And, of course, gardening is still in the picture.

“One of our goals is to be on the IBG Garden Tour, at some point,” she says.

About her current work, she says she is excited about exploring civil discourse. “The topic has been around since Aristotle,” she says, mindful of the qualities of listening and strategic thinking. “We’ll examine the role civility plays in education, in our community.”

She hopes it will be more than just talk.

“I believe with every fiber of my being that together we can accomplish almost anything.”