Ivy Julease Newman is a national speaker and author who inspires women to take beneficial actions to explore intimacy with God. Her honesty, humor and comprehension of God’s Word encourages women to discover biblical answers to the most essential questions about sex and dating. Ivy Julease’s latest book A Space Called Chastity has received the iUniverse Editor’s Choice Award and the Rising Star Award. Recently she was featured on ESSENCE.com and appeared as an on-air guest for WHCR 90.3FM (NYC) and WBGO 96.3FM (DC), discussing the book and her journey in chastity.
Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Ivy Julease attended Richmond Public Schools. Upon graduating, she received a Bachelor’s of Music in composition from Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. In addition to her studies, Ivy Julease was a contributing writer for the Oberlin Alumni Magazine and the co-founder of the Oberlin Conservatory Black Musicians Guild — an organization that creates a base of academic, social, musical, and cultural support and guidance for African-American Conservatory students. The group remains active on campus, providing public programs that showcase the works of African-American composers, musicians, performers, and scholars.
After Oberlin, Ivy Julease moved to New York City where she earned a M.A. in Arts Administration from Columbia University, Teachers College, with a concentration in marketing from Columbia Business School. While serving as a researcher with Columbia University Research Center for Arts and Culture, Ivy Julease completed her graduate thesis on Black arts organizations and their intersection with Black philanthropy.
Ivy Julease’s entrepreneurial aspirations led her to start The Viney Group—a boutique marketing management firm that services small businesses, non-profits and start-ups — where she serves as its principal. A Space Called Chastity is one of several projects that fall under the purview of The Viney Group. Over the years, Ivy Julease has received numerous accolades, including the National Gold Medal for composition from the NAACP ACT-SO awards, presented to her by Dr. Cornel West and she has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show for outstanding community service. Ivy Julease has also served as a panelist for the 2007 NYC Social Theory, Politics and the Arts Conference (New York University) and 2012 Videmus @ 25 Conference (UNC, Chapel Hill)
In her spare time, Ivy Julease enjoys painting, cooking and reading biblical text. In the near future, Ivy Julease plans to start a harp program for at-risk youth in New York City.