CHICAGO - Julia Chappell will assume marketing leadership duties for Merchandise Mart’s Casual Furniture and Accessories Market, as well as pre-Market and day-to-day marketing duties for the industry’s permanent showrooms.

A well-known professional in the home furnishings and casual furnishings industries, Julia is a 17-year communications and marketing industry veteran. She has served as managing director, Marketing, for the Design Center at The Merchandise Mart since October 2010.

She is responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing, communications, and event planning efforts for residential home furnishings in an effort to drive traffic to the 1.5 million square feet of showroom space at The Mart.

Julia began her marketing and communications career in 1997, and has run marketing at The Washington Design Center (formerly an MMPI property). She moved to Chicago to assume her current role with MMPI after serving for two years as director of Communications and Public Relations for Gensler in Washington, D.C. Previously, she spent three years as director of Showrooms and Key Accounts for casual furnishings industry leader Brown Jordan.