Julie Stokes

Julie Skinner Stokes (born January 23, 1970) is a Certified Public Accountant from Kenner in suburban Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 79.

Julie Stokes
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 79th district
Incumbent
Assumed office March 2013
Preceded by	Tony Ligi
Personal details
Born	January 23, 1970
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Larry Stokes
Children	2
Education	University of New Orleans (BS)

Until her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2017, Stokes was a candidate[1] for Louisiana state treasurer in the special election scheduled for October 14, 2017 to choose a successor to John Neely Kennedy, who was elected in 2016 to the United States Senate. Stokes underwent five months of chemotherapy[1] and has been declared cancer-free.[2]

On November 6, 2018, Stokes finished in fifth place with 163,769 votes (11 percent) in the special election to fill the position of secretary of state, vacated by Republican Tom Schedler. The two top vote-getters, Republican interim secretary Kyle Ardoin and Democrat Gwen Collins-Greenup, met in a December 8 runoff contest,[3] Which Ardoin won, 59–41 percent.

On March 2, 2013, Stokes won a special election to the Louisiana House to succeed fellow Republican Tony Ligi, who resigned from office to become director of the Jefferson Business Council.[4] By defeating three fellow Republicans, Stokes received 55 percent of the vote to fill the nearly three years remaining in Li's term. Businessman Jack Rizzuto, a candidate defeated by Ligi in 2007, finished second in the 2013 contest with 31 percent of the ballots cast. Allison Bent Bowler, the chief financial officer at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans received 9 percent of the vote.[5] No Democrat ran for the position.[6]

Background

Stokes is the only child of Doris Guerin Skinner, a Metairie native, and the late Edward Thomas Skinner.[7] In 1992, Stokes received her Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of New Orleans. From 2000 to 2010, she operated Julie S. Stokes, CPA, but thereafter became the chief financial officer of Stokes & Associates. She is also a tax preparer.[8] She is in business with her husband, Larry S. Stokes (born September 30, 1955); the couple has two children, Brandon and Taylor Stokes.[7]

Stokes resides in Kenner with her husband Larry and their two children, Brandon and Taylor. She attended Jefferson Parish Public Schools and the University of New Orleans. After four years on full academic scholarship at UNO, she received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting, magna cum laude. She started working at a Big Four accounting firm and passed the CPA exam on her first effort.

Political career

In her freshman legislative year in 2013, Representative Stokes was rated at 71 percent by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.[9] Stokes serves on the Health & Welfare, Labor & Industrial Relations, and Ways & Means committees.[10]

She is actively involved with the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, the University of New Orleans Alumni Association, the Louisiana Society of CPA's, and local economic development activities, including the Kenner 2030 Economic Development Committee.

She chairs the Sales Tax Streamlining & Modernization Commission, which seeks to reform the state's sales tax system. She was recognized nationally as one of a handful of state "Tax Legislators of the Year" by State Tax Notes for her work on sales tax reform.

Stokes is the vice chair of the Legislative Audit Advisory Committee and serves as one of only two interim members on the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. She also serves on the House Executive Committee, Ways & Means, Health & Welfare, and Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay.

Nationally, Stokes serves on the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) and is involved with the organizations task force on State & Local Taxation. She also serves as co-chair of the NCSL Budgets & Revenues Standing Committee.

Stokes was selected with twenty-four other women for the 2017 Class of Governing Magazine's Women in Government Leadership Program.

She received the Southwest Chamber Louisiana's Fusion Five Award for best new up-and-coming legislator in 2015. In 2016, she was named one of four "Women of Distinction" by the Girl Scouts of the USA for eastern Louisiana. She has also been honored as one of New Orleans City Business Magazine's "Women of the Year" in both 2003 and 2014.

Before public life, Rep. Stokes served as a Commissioner of the Regional Transit Authority and as President of the Chateau Estates Civic Organization, the Accounting and Financial Women's Alliance, and the Jefferson Chamber Young Leaders. Her other legislative awards include:

• "Champion of Economic Development" in 2013–2016 by the Louisiana Industrial Development Economic Association
• "Liberty Award," Louisiana Family Forum, 2014–2016
• "Family Advocate," Louisiana Family Forum, 2014–2016
• "Small Business Champion" in 2013 and 2014 by the National Federation of Independent Business
• "Legislative All-Star" in 2014 by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
• "Legislator of the Year" for 2014 by the Louisiana Orthopedic Association
• "Education Choice Champion" for 2013 and 2014 by the Louisiana Federation for Children [11]

References

1. "Julie Stokes quits Louisiana treasurer race after breast cancer diagnois". New Orleans Times-Picayune. July 6, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
2. "After fighting breast cancer, La. lawmaker takes cancer fight to state capitol". WAFB-TV. August 15, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
3. "Election Returns". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
4. On the same day that Stokes was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives, another Republican, Barry Ivey of East Baton Rouge Parish, won a special election in District 65 to choose a successor to the ailing Republican Clif Richardson.
5. "Lauren McGaughy, Baton Rouge businessman Barry Ivey wins special House election, March 2, 2013". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
6. "Louisiana election results, March 2, 2013". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
7. "Obituary of Ruth Elizabeth Hauck Guerin (c. 1922-2012), the maternal grandmother of Julie Stokes". obits.dignitymemorial.com. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
8. "Stokes & Associates, Inc". stokes-associates.com. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
9. "Representative Julie Stokes". labi.org. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
10. "2013 Updates". Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.