As Rippel’s Program Director, Joann provides leadership and strategic oversight to the foundation’s program work, furthering Rippel’s strategic direction.

An attorney by training, Joann began her career practicing law—first as a pro bono fellow at the law firm of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP (formerly Hunton & Williams LLP) and then as a staff attorney with Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Health Law Partnership program. In both roles, she provided free legal representation to lower-income clients, practicing family law, immigration law, education law. She also served as a Guardian Ad Litem in juvenile court. Joann then transitioned to the field of health policy and advocacy, working to improve health coverage, access, and health outcomes for a range of issues in both the government and non-profit sectors. As a professional in the non-profit sector, Joann led the health policy portfolio at Voices for Georgia’s Children and later served as the Director of Medicaid Initiatives at Community Catalyst, Inc. As a federal employee, Joann led policy and partnership-related efforts across a range of critical public health issues over the span of a decade while working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Joann studied Advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received her J.D. from the Emory University School of Law. In her free time, she enjoys running, biking, and hiking, and is a huge fan of the online Games Section of the New York Times. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Joann and her husband Hubert enjoy visiting new countries when not spending time at home with their demanding pup.