Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Joanna and her husband moved to Boston almost forty years ago to work as educators. It was while teaching at New Covenant School that she became familiar with Covenant Church, which had founded the school in 1985. She had been part of a house church for sixteen years but when it disbanded in 1997, she already knew and respected the leadership and many of the members of Covenant Church and has been part of it ever since.  As an elder, Joanna is focused on corporate and healing prayer and congregational care.

 Joanna has a passion for seeing people grow – grow in their gifts, their walk with God, and their Christ-like character.  She taught at New Covenant School for twenty years and then served as director and principal. During her time there she focused on how to best foster spiritual development in both faculty and students. Currently serving as spiritual director of the school, she leads chapel every morning and continues to invite students into a deeper walk with God through stories, drama, and Sacred Space.

Married for 45 years, Joanna and her husband Steven have four children and nine grandchildren. They live in Lexington and love to bike, hike, travel and work with Christian teachers in the U.S., Canada, and the Dominican Republic to help Christian schools glorify God in all that they do.