Julia Caplan

Executive Director | State of Equity

Pronouns: she/her

Julia Caplan, MPH, MPP, is the Executive Director of State of Equity, which builds the capacity of government leaders, changes government practices, and creates structures within government to support the ongoing centering of community priorities. Julia brings 30 years of social justice leadership and 13 years supporting state government organizations to advance racial and health equity as a founding staff member and chair of the California Health in All Policies Task Force and co-founder of the Capitol Collaborative on Race and Equity. Julia holds masters’ degrees in public policy and public health from the University of California, Berkeley.

Presentations from Facing Race 2024

Governing for Racial Equity: California’s New Racial Equity Commission

Help shape the future of California’s new Racial Equity Commission. In this interactive session, participants will learn about this new body and share wisdom and experience to help advance racial equity in government.

Participants will learn about the multi-year advocacy efforts to establish the Commission, get an update on progress so far, and provide guidance as the Commission seeks to develop a racial equity framework for the state. As this work is underway, we seek guidance from you—racial equity practitioners across the nation—so we can capture the best ideas, tools, strategies, and resources and bring them back as we move this work forward.

In 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom established the state’s first Racial Equity Commission via Executive Order N-16-22, after two years of tireless advocacy from the independent Coalition for the California Racial Equity Coalition (C-REC)—consisting of grassroots organizations, racial justice and equity-focused nonprofits, and community advocates.

The Executive Order outlines the Commission’s roles and responsibilities, which include developing a framework, best practices, technical assistance, and resources to address the legacy of institutional and systemic racism in California’s government policies and programs.

Presenters include:
1) Dr. Larissa Estes, inaugural Executive Director of the Commission
2) Julia Caplan, Executive Director of State of Equity, which has provided racial equity capacity building to over 50 California state government entities through the Capitol Collaborative on Race and Equity
3) Maria Barakat of the Greenlining Institute, who co-leads the grassroots coalition C-REC

Speakers: Dr. Larissa Estes, Julia Caplan, Maria Barakat