Joan has been an educator for the past 44 years, serving as a classroom teacher, vice-principal, principal, Language Arts Consultant, Curriculum Coordinator for Junior Kindergarten to Grade 13 in Ontario and a Professional Issues Staff Officer with the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.  She has completed her Principals’ Certification in both Manitoba and Ontario as well as her Superintendents’ Qualifications in Ontario. Her academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Human Ecology (Human Development Major), Certificate in Education, Masters in Educational Administration and in 2011, her Doctorate in Inclusive Special Education. She won the 2010 Thomas B. Greenfield Award sponsored by the Canadian Association for the Study of Education Administration (CASEA) for the best written doctoral dissertation in Educational Administration in Canada. Joan has delivered presentations at conferences across North America sponsored by the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, the International Council for Exceptional Children, the Canadian Association for the Study of Educational Administration, The American Educational Research Association, the Canadian Association of Community Living and other organizations. As well she has provided many workshops on a wide variety of topics for the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, the Manitoba Status of Women, the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), the Manitoba Alliance for Universal Design for Learning and other Manitoba educational organizations. While she officially retired in 2011, she refers to herself as “reinvented” as she continues to consult with, and support, educational organizations which align with her passions. She continued her own lifelong learning in the area of Effective Professional Learning when she completed a 2 ½ year Learning Forward Academy Program in 2016 designed to support facilitating the change process with educators.  She has been active in promoting Universal Design for Learning developed by Dr. Jennifer Katz.  In 2014-15, she was the first Chair of the newly formed Manitoba Alliance for Universal Design for Learning (MAUDeL). In 2017, Joan developed and has been teaching a new course “Resiliency: Nurturing Students to Face Reality” for educational assistants in the EADP program with PACE.  In the winters of 2019 and 2021, she taught this course to Indigenous Winnipeg School Division high school students who had been selected for their “Build From Within” program. She continues to teach educational assistants in Seine River School Division comprehensive Inclusive Education courses, totalling 150 credit hours, to receive their divisional Educational Assistant Diploma. In June 2021, she has become the Chair of the “Student Success Portfolio” Ad Hoc Committee with the Retired Teachers Association of Manitoba. Joan loves to travel and has toured many different parts of the world. Prior to COVID, her favourite weekly  activity was singing over 450 old time songs to residents in personal care homes in Winnipeg and Stonewall, MB.   Her two grandsons living in Warren, MB are her pride and joy!  There are no Mindfulness activities which compete with pushing stones with sticks in a sandbox with your grandson for 30 minutes!  The world slows down and bliss has arrived!