With over a decade of experience in community organizing, volunteer leadership development, and large-scale event coordination, Joanna brings a blend of strategic planning, relationship building, and hands-on coaching to support volunteers at AAVSO.
After earning her BA in History and Political Science from Guilford College, where she was a Bonner Scholar, Joanna began her career in 2003 as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with her local housing authority. She went on to work as a staff member and later adjunct faculty in higher education, with West Virginia Wesleyan College, Glenville State College, and West Virginia University Health Sciences. It was during this time that Joanna returned as a student to graduate with a Master of Science degree in Negotiation & Dispute Resolution from Creighton University in 2014.
Joanna was a founding member and leader of the WV chapter of RESULTS, a movement of everyday people who use their voices to influence lawmakers to support policies that address poverty and the systems that cause it. Inspired by that volunteer community, she joined the staff at RESULTS in late 2022. For three years she supported new volunteer teams from throughout the country while also leading a nationwide return to in-person engagement after the COVID-19 pandemic. This grew into a network-wide effort, coordinating more than 130 events throughout 14 regions and deepening a sense of connection across the grassroots network. She also coached volunteers to develop their instincts for outreach and partnership to build local power.
Joanna strives to bring empathy, steadiness, and clear communication into every space she’s part of. She focuses on creating transparency, trust, and future-focused collaboration across diverse groups, and believes deeply in the power of values-based relationships and cooperative learning. The most rewarding part of her work now is supporting individuals to deepen and share their love of astronomy.
Joanna’s favorite hobby is gardening. She’s always happy to share her knowledge and harvests with friends and family. Currently residing on her family farm in Maryland, Joanna is fulfilling a lifelong dream to develop an orchard.