joann@georgiahealthinitiative.org 

Joann Yoon Kang serves as Vice President of Strategic Communications at the Initiative. In this role, she develops and manages the Initiative’s brand and voice, leads internal and external communications strategy, and ensures communications is strategically integrated into all programmatic efforts. Joann draws on her legal training to analyze complex issues, translating them into clear and accessible information and designing creative solutions to communications challenges.

Joann brings more than 20 years of experience in health policy and advocacy at the state and national levels. She began her career as a public interest lawyer before moving into policy and advocacy work in joining Voices for Georgia’s Children. She then spent a decade at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she led teams in health systems, data visualization, policy, and partnerships. Prior to joining the Initiative, she served as Program Director at The Rippel Foundation, providing strategic oversight to efforts aimed at building a more equitable and sustainable system of health. Her career has spanned across sectors–including private, nonprofit, and federal government–and has formed her belief in the power of cross-sector collaboration to drive systems change.

Joann earned her Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Illinois, degrees that together shape the way she processes information and communicates with diverse audiences. She is inspired by the long-standing undercurrent of social justice movement in Georgia and the broader South, which fuels her commitment to advancing health and wellbeing across the state.