Joan is a campaigner, advocate, and labour organiser focused on leading progressive change in the United States Workers' Rights Movement. Currently, they are serving as the Executive Director of the Seattle Education Association. Joan is also the Founder and past President of the National LGBTQ Workers Center, the first Queer and Trans-focused Workers Center in the United States.
Previously, Joan served as the Executive Director of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Washington State Council, spearheading their joint external relations, political, and policy work. As a seasoned organisational development and racial justice practitioner, Joan supported SEIU’s transformation into an anti-racist Union by leading their state-wide immigration work as well as reinforcing their racial justice portfolio. Before that, Joan worked for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), first as an organiser and then as the National Young Workers’ Coordinator, advising union staff and leadership on ways to build the next generation of labour leaders while helping to coordinate issue-based campaigns on student debt and Black Lives Matter.
As a Senior Atlantic Fellow and through their studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Joan has also cultivated an interest in progressive revenue and was a founding board member of Invest in Washington Now. In their free time, they enjoy being a super aunt, sailing and cuddling with their poodle Storm.
Mothers who work paycheque to paycheque in order to provide a better life for their children give me hope. In my experience, it was always low-wage mothers who, despite their lack of time, were most willing to give up their time to organise for better wages, better benefits and a better world for their children. Mothers like mine, immigrants and all working-class parents who see the importance of fixing this broken system of inequality. They give me hope.Joan Jones