She received her PhD in Education in Language, Literacy, and Culture at UC Davis. Her interest in issues around academic writing development for culturally and linguistically diverse students led her to pursue designated emphases in Second Language Acquisition and Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies. Before joining the faculty of CSU, Monterey Bay, Joanna served as a lecturer for the Masters degree program in the School of Education at UC Davis and an elementary literacy specialist with the Oakland Unified School District.