Julie Towers is the former Deputy Minister in Nova Scotia for departments of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Aboriginal Affairs and Immigration. She currently sits on the Nature Advisory Committee for Environment and Climate Change Canada. Julie started her career as a wildlife biologist after earning Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the University of Toronto and University of New Brunswick. Before becoming Deputy Minister and CEO of Aboriginal Affairs, Julie worked in applied research, environmental education and forest, parks and wildlife management. She was directly involved in developing and implementing the National Biodiversity Framework, Aichi targets, Canada's Biodiversity Strategy, and 2020 Biodiversity Goals and Targets, and recently worked on the post-2020 biodiversity strategy. Julie has authored three books, including the reference guide Wildlife of Nova Scotia.