Senior Vice President at Look Ahead Strategies

Julia Portela is a Senior Vice President at Look Ahead Strategies, where she specializes in political research and crisis communications for political campaigns and corporate clients. Julia has led research efforts for gubernatorial, state, and local races during the 2020–2026 election cycles. She previously worked on U.S. Senate races during the 2018 and 2016 cycles, supporting candidates across highly competitive political environments.

Previously, Julia was a Managing Director at America Rising Corporation, where she led research teams and provided opposition research and rapid response consulting to federal, state, and local campaigns. During her tenure, she played a key role in shaping research strategy and mentoring analysts.

Julia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. During her time in college, she interned in the San Diego Mayor’s Office and was selected to participate in the University of California Washington Program (UCDC), where she interned with the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security. She is an OLP alumna from the Class of 2011.