Project Advisor, Tulane Nitrogen Reduction Challenge
Julie Zona joins the Tulane Nitrogen Reduction Challenge development team with over six years of experience developing and managing large scale competitions. Most recently, Julie was contracted as the Challenge Manager for the soon-to-be-announced U.S. Department of Energy sponsored Wave Energy Prize, promoting the development of more efficient offshore wave energy conversion devices for use as an alternate energy source in coastal regions. She also served as the Challenge Manager for the DARPA sponsored $1M FANG competition, and was the Director of Team Development and Relations for the $10M Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE at the grand challenge focused X PRIZE Foundation for four years prior to her involvement in the two-year DARPA program.
Before her competition work, Ms. Zona spent over 15 years in the automotive industry. She began her career in environmental management at Mayco Plastics, and then moved to Chrysler Corporation where she turned her focus to product development. With a career spanning nearly 14 years at Chrysler, she held a variety of positions including roles in manufacturing, vehicle development, product planning/strategy, marketing and program management.