From the age of 16, Julie Duckett knew she wanted to be an accountant. She had a family member who was a CPA who greatly influenced her as a mentor and role model. During her high school years, she worked at Shopko Corporate Offices in the Accounts Payable department eventually landing a financial reporting role by the time she graduated from St. Norbert College.
Her accounting career at BayCare Clinic started in 1999. Julie’s dedication for the past quarter century represents the progress that has been made to break barriers and highlight the contributions women have brought to BayCare Clinic within its 25 years in Northeast Wisconsin.
Julie provides financial oversight for all areas within the company. She oversees BayCare Clinic’s finance and the revenue cycle, as well as facilities within eight departments. When asked how she balances her time leading a team of eight departments, Julie gives credit to her team leaders.
“They are people who I can rely on, who understand what our goals are, and they work really hard to get those done,” Julie says.
A New Focus as BayCare Clinic Foundation President
In 2023, Julie’s influence expanded when she became president of the BayCare Clinic Foundation. Traditionally, the foundation’s primary focus was to provide scholarships to area educational institutions and small contributions to community organizations that would otherwise gain funds through grant requests.
“My goal in becoming president of the Foundation was to turn that upside down a little bit and organize and create some interest and enthusiasm within BayCare Clinic to pick some causes that we can support and really focus our energies on,” Julie says.
This year, the BayCare Clinic Foundation will allocate funds specifically for mental health, which Julie is proud to see come together.
Life’s A Balance
Despite all that Julie has been able to accomplish, she also highlights the challenges she’s encountered as a working mom. At one point, she had three children under the age of two.
“I was amazed at the support that I was given here at work,” Julie says. “I was allowed to deal with my three very young children.”
With that, she has learned how important it is to provide her team with flexibility because life’s a balance.
"Sometimes your home life or your family responsibilities kind of run into your work responsibilities,” Julie says. “And when you allow your team to figure that out and do what's best for them, that creates a lot of loyalty and understanding that we're all in the same boat.”
There’s no perfect equation to finding balance between work and home life. However, just as in accounting, finding balance in life requires periodic adjustments to your responsibilities and commitments. Through her journey, Julie has exemplified the value of perseverance, leadership, and adaptability in navigating both career success and personal fulfillment.