Joanna's Story

Board President

Joanna currently serves as Board President on the Access to Independence (ACCESS) Board of Directors. She joined the ACCESS Board in 2018 and began her tenure by serving as the Board Secretary for one year. 

Born and raised in Madison, WI, Joanna has used a wheelchair since the age of 4 and has been a disability advocate since college.  A life-long affinity for math and science pushed her to obtain engineering degrees from UW-Madison which helped her achieve her dream of working on shuttle design and Space Flight Operations for NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C.  As an educator and project manager, Joanna has dedicated the last 14 years to working with local governments and non-profit organizations, helping ensure that low- and moderate-income (LMI) individuals have sustainable housing, service, and employment opportunities across the continental United States.  She is currently a Grants Specialist-Advanced for the Wisconsin Dept. of Administration – Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources and focuses on managing federally-funded public infrastructure improvement projects. 

​ Having grown-up with a minimal understanding of the resources and services locally available for persons with disabilities, Joanna is passionate about the wide variety of services and education that Access provides – hoping to see Access’ visibility and recognition increase exponentially with the help of the dedicated Board of Directors.

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