JUN 14 2020
Meet Joanna
If she looks familiar, it is because Joanna has been an integral part of Canopy since its founding in 2016.
Joanna has served Canopy in various capacities over the years. She first began her work with Canopy as a volunteer, then as a part-time program director for the Refugee Health Promotion program and most recently as the Director of Social Integration and Health.
She has a long career in refugee work that has taken her from refugee camps on the Burma border to the offices of Jewish Vocational Services in Boston, the International Rescue Committee in Atlanta, and of course, right here in Northwest Arkansas with Canopy.
In addition to extensive experience in direct service provision to refugees, Joanna also has extensive experience in program design and administration, monitoring and evaluation, and grants management!
She holds a Masters in Public Health from Boston University.
As the granddaughter and daughter of refugees and immigrants, this work has always been personal for Joanna; for her, this is much more than just a job. Her paternal grandparents fled persecution and found refuge in the United States where her grandfather enlisted in the US Army to serve the country that provided freedom to his family.
Her mother arrived in the United States and entered a second grade classroom where she learned her first words and then mastered her third language, English.
Canopy’s Board of Directors conducted a national search for Canopy’s new Executive Director, but ultimately, they felt certain that Canopy would be best served by Joanna. Her proven commitment, steady leadership, and deep understanding of Canopy’s clients, programs and community made her the best possible candidate for the role.
“We were incredibly impressed not only with Joanna’s current contributions to the work of Canopy, but also her approach to growth, development of Canopy’s mission, and a focus on the future of the organization as we lean into our Long Welcome Strategy,” said Clint Schnekloth, Canopy’s Chairman of the Board. “She’s the right person, at the right time, to take Canopy NWA to the next stage of its life. I’m incredibly excited to work with her as we continue to resettle refugees and in the process make Northwest Arkansas a more vibrant and welcoming place to live.”
Emily Linn, Canopy’s outgoing Executive Director, has served as Canopy’s founding director since 2016. Under her leadership, Canopy has grown to serve over 200 people across all of its programs! Emily and her family will be moving to Washington D.C. so that she can pursue her graduate studies and her husband can take a clerkship with the D.C. District Court of Appeals.
To ensure the smoothest possible transition, Emily will remain in her current role through the end of July. Although Emily is sad to step out of her role as Canopy’s director, she is also ecstatic to see how Canopy grows under Joanna’s leadership.
“It’s incredibly bittersweet. Serving as Canopy’s founding director has been the biggest honor of my life. I’m so sad to leave our community and our clients, but I couldn’t be more thrilled to be able to hand over the reins to my colleague and friend who I know will continue to lead Canopy with clarity, bravery and passion.”
We are so excited to announce Joanna Krause as Canopy’s new Executive Director! Please join us in welcoming her to this new role!
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