This is a profile image of John-Paul (JP) Julien

John-Paul (JP) Julien

Serves US foundations, impact investors, and city and state governments on inclusive economic-development topics and helps organizations accelerate economic mobility in underserved communities

JP works with philanthropic and private sector investors on accelerating economic mobility and has experience working across more than a dozen US cities and states on economic development and real estate projects. He has deep expertise in housing, financial inclusion, and workforce development.

Alongside his client work, JP is a leader of the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, McKinsey’s internal think tank focused on inclusive economic growth.

JP’s recent projects include the following:

  • helping a leading financial services organization build an end-to-end strategy to better serve and support underserved communities, including exploring targeted financial products, partners, and channels that could better meet the need of low-income consumers. The effort is underway and aims to increase mortgage lending, credit access, and insurance coverage for thousands of new and existing customers.
  • creating a ten-year community-investment plan for a historically underperforming region, including investor-ready business plans for each initiative developed in partnership with community members. To date, the plan has raised more than $200 million in state and philanthropic investment.
  • supporting a US foundation in developing place-based strategies to accelerate economic mobility in high-poverty neighborhoods and identifying targeted interventions and capital resources to ensure long-term sustainability of the work.
  • developing an inclusive economic-development strategy for a US state, including advice on specific levers to increase the supply of affordable housing, advance the innovation economy, and build community wealth. The effort is on its way to deliver an estimated 300,000 jobs and more than $600 million increase in venture-capital investment.
  • working with social sector leaders to develop a strategy to advance equity outcomes and help improve the economic reality for the nearly 100 million Americans who are financially insecure.
  • leading the strategic and operational design of three innovation districts, including the end-to-end strategy of a university-anchored hub that is expected to generate more than $500 million of investment.

  • Public Sector
  • Real Estate

Published work

Who is Rural America?,” McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, March 2025

Investing in housing: Unlocking economic mobility for Black families and all Americans, McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, February 2025

Economic mobility: Making lives better now—and for the long term,” McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, February 2025

Mapping the road to prosperity and parity for Black and Latino residents across America,” McKinsey & Company, March 2024

Location, location, location: The impact of place on racial equity,” McKinsey & Company, February 2024

The state of Black residents: The relevance of place to racial equity and outcomes, McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, February 2024

Reimagining public health programs to deliver equitable impact,” McKinsey & Company, March 2023

A first step to racial equality? Fundamentally improve job quality,” McKinsey Global Institute, September 2021

The economic state of Black America: What is and what could be, McKinsey Global Institute, June 2021

The case for inclusive growth,” McKinsey & Company, April 2021

Closing the racial gap through infrastructure investment,” McKinsey & Company, January 2021

It’s time for a new approach to racial equity,” McKinsey & Company, December 2020

COVID-19: Investing in Black lives and livelihoods,” McKinsey & Company, April 2020

The case for accelerating financial inclusion in black communities,” McKinsey & Company, February 2020

Making the most of US opportunity zones,” McKinsey & Company, April 2019

Governments can lead construction into the digital era,” McKinsey & Company, April 2019

Education

Yale School of Management
MBA, management

Yale School of Public Health
MPH, healthcare management

University of Pennsylvania
BA, health and societies