Executive Team
Julia Neubauer, CFO & On-Site Director
Julia Neubauer is one of the co-founders of the Ashraya Initiative for Children (AIC). She has served as the CFO of the organization since 2004 and is the current home director on location in Pune, India.
Julia founded a branch of the Ashraya Initiative in Austria and served as the head of AIC's fundraising branch in the US for two years. From the organization’s beginning stages, Julia has been heavily involved in fundraising activities as well as publicity efforts. Her work with AIC earned her multiple awards, such as the Princeton University International Service Award. Julia was named “Austrian Volunteer of the Year 2006” by the Austrian government and “Woman of the Year 2007” by an Austrian Women’s magazine.
Originally from Austria, Julia first traveled to India at age sixteen to attend the Mahindra United World College in Pune. During her two-year tenure at Mahindra College, Julia devoted some of her spare time to social work, taught English to children from nearby villages and volunteered at an orphanage. Upon graduating from Mahindra College, Julia made the decision to return to India on a regular basis to volunteer her time at orphanages and schools. When Elizabeth Sholtys approached her in 2004 with the idea of founding a home for orphaned street children, Julia didn’t hesitate to join the team and has been on board ever since. Julia considers her work with AIC a lifelong commitment to helping street children and their communities of origin.
Julia holds a degree in Economics and Political Economy from Princeton University. She spent two years working as a Financial Analyst for the Princeton University Investment Company, where she focused on International Equity and Real Assets investments. Julia left her full-time job at Princeton in July 2009 and moved to Pune to spend time running AIC’s programs on the ground. Her experience in the finance sector prepared Julia for her role as CFO of the Ashraya Initiative and benefits the organization in many ways.
