SemDems Activist of the Month
September 2022
Joanne
Our September 2022 Activist of the Month, Joanne, is a mother, grandmother, and Registered Nurse! She grew up living on military bases where her father served as an Orthopedic Surgeon with her homemaker mother and four sisters. Through her father’s military service during the Vietnam War, Joanne learned firsthand the devastation war can have on individual service members and their families. Her family moved to Martin County, Florida and she spent the rest of her formative years among the then-natural beaches and rivers.
Joanne became politically active on the student council at Cole High School. She earned an Associate of Science Degree from Broward Community College and a BS degree from AdventHealth University (then Southern Adventist University). She earned an Oklahoma Registered Nurse License while living in Ft. Sill, OK with her first husband. There she worked as an Emergency Room RN, Medical-Surgical RN receiving trauma patients, and then in Psychiatric Nursing at Taliaferro Community Mental Health Center. During this period she gave birth to a daughter and a son.
Joanne remarried a man who was originally from Cuba and they had a son. They moved to Winter Park, FL in 1982. She became a licensed Florida RN and served for 46 years in psychiatric and mental health nursing while practicing as a hospital BSN, RN and Nurse Manager. Continuing the military family tradition, her daughter served in the Air Force and one of her sons served with the 82nd Airbourne Division with the U.S. Army during and right after 9/11 and served in Khandahar, Afghanistan. Joanne was proud to be present when her son’s first child was born at Ft. Bragg.
Having experience with relatives in the military, Joanne is very mindful of protecting our freedoms. She enjoys handing out voter guides, meeting people, and campaigning for leaders. Joanne is a nature lover and she enjoys gardening as well as anything involving young people. She says, “they teach you so much while you also can give them hope.” The SemDems is honored to have Joanne on our team!