Faculty FrontDoor

Julie Stiles Mills

My passion is to help people go from where they are, with what they have, to where they could be, with what they need. My favorite words are edify [to build someone up through instruction] and pragmatic [focused on needs and results, rather than with ideas or theories].

I strive to live out those words as I help people grow stronger in three areas: Career Success, Communication Effectiveness and Computer Efficiency.

Career Success:
I help clients and students to successfully plan and navigate a career path which combines their skills, education, experience and passion while providing financial stability and opportunity for growth, whether they need a strong resume, interview prep, guidance in starting their own business or website creation.

Communication Effectiveness:
I believe pragmatic communication is the art of responding, not reacting. It's the successful application of proven communication theory in real, every day situations. My fundamental goal when working with clients and students is to increase the potential for successful interpersonal interactions and strong relationships by teaching them how to recognize situations in which it would be helpful to employ a particular communication technique and by equipping them to apply it effectively and successfully.

Computer Efficiency:
My focus is on meeting specific needs in order to achieve optimal results. Every individual and company has unique needs and goals when it comes to document production, task and information management, scheduling and connecting with others through digital communication. The focus of my pragmatic computer training and consulting is on empowering clients to work smarter, not harder (or longer), maximizing efficiency by eliminating unnecessary steps, automating repetitive tasks and by minimizing confidentiality and liability risks.

With a BA in Organizational Communication from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from The Crummer Graduate School at Rollins College, I taught Business and Professional Communication at UCF for 7 years.

I started my career with Valencia College....way back when and have recently returned to serve as an Adjunct Instructor for Valencia College's Accelerated Skills Training and as an Adjunct Professor for the B.S. in Business and Organizational Leadership program.