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Joanna Jones, Ph. D.
Joanna Jones is the Founder and Executive Director of LEADStrong International, a non-profit organization dedicated to equipping and empowering leaders in the developing world. Through education, personal engagement with coaching, and empowerment initiatives, these emerging leaders are equipped for powerful, redemptive leadership work that brings transformational hope to their context and communities.
Joanna was raised in Zambia, Africa and considers it her heart’s home. This upbringing in the vibrant cultures of the continent has profoundly shaped her passion for helping people learn to thrive through redemptive leadership development work, culturally sensitive teaching and coaching, and community development work.
Joanna holds a bachelor's degree in psychology/sociology, a masters in clinical counseling, and a doctorate in leadership and organizational development. During her doctoral program, she also earned a masters in divinity equivalency. Her academic and professional pursuits uniquely position her to address the intersection of faith, mental health, and leadership development, creating meaningful impact in diverse settings particular to the sub-Saharan African context.
Joanna teaches in many contexts throughout multiple African countries, including classes in leadership studies both in accredited school settings and seminar style environs. This has brought her into relationships with leaders from across a wide variety of settings.
She also works in coaching, developing leaders on their growth journeys. In this capacity, she serves as a professor and advisor, leveraging her expertise to shape the next generation of Christian leaders across Africa. One such current endeavor—developing a culturally attuned counseling center in Kigali, Rwanda—is a testament to her visionary leadership for creating culturally sensitive and applicable initiatives requested by dynamic leaders as they see needs within their African contexts.
Further, Joanna is engaged in coaching various teams in generative work that serves disenfranchised populations, such as orphans and vulnerable children, those suffering from untreated mental or emotional illness, as well as those struggling with addiction. Identifying, supporting, and empowering these visionary leaders has immense reward in seeing both personal and collective excellence as these leaders and their initiatives grow.
Joanna’s innovative approach acknowledges the profound power of personal and communal stories in healing and transformation. By merging modern counseling methods with cultural practices, she seeks to create a space where people can find restoration, resilience, and renewed purpose for their own redemptive leadership journeys.
When not teaching, leading, or coaching, Joanna remains deeply connected to her African roots, cherishing every opportunity to engage with the cultures and people she holds dear. Her life’s work is a living testimony to the power of God’s love and the enduring strength gained through engaging shared stories. She is married to Bryan and together they have four children.