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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 J U N E 2 5 , 2 0 1 8 O N T H E R E C O R D B Y M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N C lukey recently talked to Mainebiz about some of her recent initia- tives. An edited transcript follows. Mainebiz: You're a senior recruiter at WEX, but you also have a camp for girls — what's behind that? Julia Clukey: I moved home to Maine in 2010 … [I'd] just reached the pinnacle of my sport, competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics, [but that was] coupled with the devastating loss of my younger sister, Olivia, to suicide. I've always been very passionate about female empowerment, and there are still many areas (politics, sports, business) where females are branded as inferior. Losing my sister was a refl ection point … on how I wanted to spend my time. Much of my involve- ment with youth and community pivots back to this loss. New this year was the Empow-her Leadership conference for grade 8-10 girls. Strong communi- ties help us feel a part of something authentic, unifi ed, tangible; they bring out the best in us and help us recognize, indisputably, that we all belong. MB: How does your career fi t with that? JC: WEX is deeply committed to the community. I sit on our philanthropic committee; a signifi cant part of my professional satisfaction comes from our interaction with the community. WEX also invests heavily in their people and works to provide avenues for profes- sional growth. Last year, I started a career/confi dence coaching business working primarily with female pro- fessionals on everything from public speaking skills to personal styling. e twinkle in someone's eye when they gain the confi dence to go after their goals is the same at any age. Transitioning out of my sport was hard, but sharing my experience and vulnerabilities with other women — I hope it continues to inspire them never to hold back. MB: How does your luge back- ground inform your career? JC: I had to fi gure out who I was away from the sport. It took a while to get a clear sense of what I wanted profes- sionally and personally. ere are two lessons I learned as an athlete that I continue to revisit: I fell in love with luge at 11 and remained passionate about it until the very end. I know to be suc- cessful I have to be excited about [my work]. When you love what you do, the daily grind/hard work, the challenges, the persistence needed, are all easier. Luge also taught me that you can't suc- ceed without failure/rejection. I failed in my sport, often quite publicly, but I was able to springboard to more signifi cant accomplishments. Remaining vulner- able to failure is critical to growth. I remind myself of that frequently. MB: You're getting an MBA from Johns Hopkins; your thesis is about the unintended consequences of big data in perpetuating poverty and reinforcing social inequalities. W hat's driven your interest? JC: I'm a tech enthusiast who's passionate about socioeconomic issues within our community. I wanted to blend the two. Algorithms help us make more effi cient and eff ective choices. But algorithms are only as good as the data. If biased data is fed into an algorithm, discriminatory results will follow. Algorithms are gen- erally secretive and not well understood. is alone isn't surprising, but if the results are disproportionally negatively aff ecting an already marginalized group, I'd like to think we want more from businesses, policies. As consumers con- tinue to demand transparency, I believe we're moving towards an auditing process that asks companies to open up technology for evaluation. Technologies like blockchain excite me — they're allowing us to more feasibly use data and tech for good, not just profi t. MB: You were a 2018 Olympics TV analyst! JC: Working with NBC was a great experience. I knew nothing about the TV world and walked away in awe of every- thing and everyone that needs to come together to create two-minute segments that are entertaining. I enjoyed helping share the stories of my teammates. It was the perfect footnote to my career. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Augusta native and Olympian Julia Clukey, a senior recruiter for WEX Inc., is also founder of a summer camps for girls and recently started a career/confidence coaching business for female professionals. A GUIDE TO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN MAINE MANUFACTURING RESERVE YOUR AD SPACE BY JULY 18 / ISSUE PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1 I N PA R T N E R S H I P W I T H : S P O N S O R E D B Y : P R O D U C E D B Y : MANUFACTURERS Find the skilled workforce you need! MANUFACTURERS Find the skilled workforce you need! MANUFACTURERS For more info visit mainebiz.biz/StuffMadeInMaine or contact Donna Brassard at dbrassard@mainebiz.biz Stuff Made in Maine is a special publication that gives manufacturers a unique format to tell their story and showcase what they make right here in Maine. Distributed to potential employees through trade and technical high schools, high school career counselors, universities, community colleges, career centers/associations, workforce development organizations, Mainebiz subscribers and many other targeted groups and events. Tell potential employees about the diverse career opportunities your company has to offer. Julia Clukey, a senior recruiter at WEX, is an Augusta native and Olympian. She started a career/confi dence coaching business, working primarily with female professionals.

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