As ISSUP’s Chief Executive, Joanna ensures the effective running of the organisation, taking responsibility for staff, work outputs, stakeholder communications, board and funder reporting, good governance and adherence to statutory obligations.
Joanna has worked in the substance use disorders field since 2001 in a variety of capacities. Her educational background is around literature and languages, with a postgraduate specialism in marketing. Her professional life has encompassed a wide range of responsibilities around research, communications, event management, and leadership. After graduating from the University of Leeds, Joanna began working as part of a research project managed by Mentor Foundation and UNODC, gathering evidence-based prevention in practice around the globe. This project developed into an online portal of prevention information, which Joanna was key to the development of, from inception through to launch.
Building upon this experience, Joanna has managed several information dissemination projects in the field of substance use prevention, including a frontrunner in online e-learning, Prevention-Smart Parents, a course aimed at supporting parents and carers in their prevention efforts. Before her work with ISSUP, Joanna managed the IKEA Foundation-funded Prevention Hub.