Julie Govreau serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of GreatBanc Trust Company. She oversees all legal matters for the organization and leads its Compliance Team, which assists internal and external clients in fulfilling their fiduciary duties.

“I don’t think anyone in the industry does it better. I am so proud of the Compliance Team we’ve built here at GreatBanc. Our team’s strong work ensures every decision made on behalf of our plans is defensible.”

Ms. Govreau began her ESOP career in 2004 as an investigator for the Department of Labor. Prior to joining GreatBanc in 2016, she worked at several leading national law firms where she specialized in the litigation of employee benefits and ESOP matters. Ms. Govreau has been involved in precedent-setting ERISA litigation, including the development of the industry’s first Process Agreement, which established the prudent process standard for ESOP trustees. This unique combination of roles and bleeding-edge experience across many sides of the ESOP industry make her one of the most prominent and sought-after thought leaders in the EOSP legal community. She regularly speaks on various compliance and best-practice topics at local, regional, and national conferences across the country.

Set foot in Julie’s office and you’ll know just by the décor that Disney is her “happy place.” She and her family frequently visit Disney Parks; several colleagues helped her celebrate a milestone birthday at Disney World. Julie has also been known to don her Minnie Mouse ears on internal calls. In her spare time, she enjoys helping other families plan their perfect trip to a Disney Park.

Ms. Govreau is a longtime contributor to The ESOP Association (TEA), having served as a Member and Chair of its Legal & Regulatory Committee as well as President of its Illinois Chapter. She is Editor of the Legal Report in TEA’s monthly ESOP Report.

Ms. Govreau graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctor (JD) and cum laude with a Master of Laws (LLM) in employee benefits from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. She holds a Master of Public Services Management (MPS) from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from University of Wisconsin.‍

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Ask Me About

Anything about Disney parks, being a softball/volleyball mom‍

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Favorite Quote

”The greatest moments in life are not concerned with selfish achievements but rather with the things we do for the people we love and esteem, and whose respect we need.” – Walt Disney