Joanne went to the University of Maryland, where she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Kinesiology and Public Health. She worked in Washington, DC, as a program manager for a national non-profit organization on environmental health and public policy initiatives. In this role, Joanne engaged with congressional staffers and federal agencies including, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Health and Human Services. She later worked as a public health consultant, collaborating with the United States Agency for International Development, Department of Defense, and the World Health Organization. Moreover, she also worked with various governments in South East Asia, West Africa, and the Caribbean, on issues related to water, sanitation, hygiene, disaster resilience, and climate change. While living in Leawood, Kansas, Joanne worked as a technical director on disaster resilience initiatives in Florida, the Bahamas, and Dominica. She currently lives in Miami, FL, and works as the Climate Justice Program Manager at the New Florida Majority. Joanne sits on several local and international committees, including the South Florida & Caribbean Resilience Systems, Haiti Medical Public Health Information Sharing Environment, and the Miami Climate Alliance Disaster Resilience Working Group. Joanne is a member of the Delta Omega Public Health Honorary Society.