About Joanna

I am Dr. Joanna Shoffner Scott, an experienced organizational development consultant with a racial equity focus. I help nonprofits, philanthropies, and businesses create equitable organizations that work for everyone.

I have consulted with more than 60 organizations in the public and private sectors, including those involved in workforce development, research, public policy, social services, place-based community sector collaboratives, government agencies, and philanthropies. Formerly of the Race Matters Institute, I am the founder and Principal Consultant at the Stamey Street Consulting Group. I use a systems focus in four key areas: Leadership, Values and Identity, Systems and Processes, and Organizational Behaviors. I help my clients understand how racism is embedded in the systems they engage with most and how to plan for those realities in their everyday work.

I am a mom and a child advocate at heart.

Before becoming a consultant, I was the Vice President of Government Affairs and Equity Programs for Voices for America’s Children. My background in public policy includes budget and tax, health, and nutrition. My doctoral work focused on health policy and how social determinants of health influence how people navigate the healthcare system. I hold a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).

A commitment to racial equity is not enough. No matter where an organization is in its racial equity journey, moving from one phase to another takes intention, planning, and action.

Every day offers an opportunity for organizations to make different choices. This is why I love sunrises so much. Each sunrise gives us a new day to work more justly and more equitably.