Julie Scianna Timberlake: Poised Power

Noteworthy Women - June 2025

Julie Scianna Timberlake describes herself as “low key,” but don’t let that modest demeanor fool you. Beneath her composed surface is a fierce drive and a tireless work ethic. 

- by Maurice Singleton

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​A fitting image for Julie Scianna Timberlake might be a duck gliding across a still lake – serene above water, paddling furiously beneath. Julie is much the same: calm, focused, and always in motion. As president and co-founder of Landmark Title & Escrow Co., Inc., Julie has built a successful business from the ground up, guided by resilience, sharp instincts, and quiet determination. 

Her journey began in 1996 while she was still in college. Hired as a receptionist at a local title company, she immersed herself in every aspect of the business. Her hunger to learn, coupled with natural leadership, propelled her upward, culminating in her role as CFO by the age of 23.

In the late ’90s, she relocated to South Carolina to manage operations for one of the company’s largest clients. The experience broadened her knowledge, sharpened her skills, and burned in her a desire to do even more.

By summer 2000, Julie had returned home to Bay St. Louis with entrepreneurial plans taking shape. That December, she and a local attorney opened Landmark Title in a modest office on the first block of Main Street.

“We opened with a desk, a phone, a couple of pens, some paper, and the $11,000 I had saved,” she recalls. “Dad was still alive and helped me build the conference table. We roughed it. Sort of a ‘fake it till you make it’ situation. But we had business pretty much right away.”
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In 2004, Julie bought out her business partner, becoming sole owner and president. Since then, she’s steered Landmark through Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill, the mortgage crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging stronger each time. “You can never rest on your laurels,” she says. “Business always ebbs and flows, but those events made the highs and lows even more dramatic.”

After Katrina destroyed the Main Street office, Julie relocated to Highway 90 before ultimately purchasing a fourplex on Ulman Avenue in 2007. Today, Landmark operates from two of those spaces and leases the other two.

Julie prefers to stay under the radar. “It’s rare for a non-attorney to own a title company,” she notes. “Most who tried before me didn’t last. I’m very aware of that. That’s why I stay low-key.”

She was just 25 when she and her partner first petitioned for agency approval. While young, she wasn’t unprepared. As the youngest of nine siblings, she had strong role models and credits her family for instilling a core value that’s served her well. 

“They all taught me work ethic,” she says. “In our family, advice isn’t handed out freely. We were raised to take ownership. If you mess up, don’t blame anyone. If you succeed, don’t expect praise. ‘You are the master of your destiny’ sort of thing.”

Nearly three decades into her career and more than two decades as the leader of Landmark, Julie continues to focus on service over status. “My goal isn’t to get rich,” she says. “I want to live comfortably and take care of my team. I’ve been fortunate to keep it small and close-knit, with staff who’ve stayed for years.”

One of those team members, Shanelle Lafontaine, sees Julie not just as a boss, but as family. “Landmark Title has become an extension of my own family,” she says. “Julie teaches through analogies—especially around food. It’s how we connect.”

Shanelle offers a fitting metaphor: “Every day, we work with a recipe. If you miss an ingredient, the whole thing’s off. Julie’s taught me that precision and care make all the difference.”

Julie Scianna Timberlake may not seek the spotlight, but her steady leadership, quiet strength, and commitment to excellence make her nothing short of remarkable.
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