Joanna first joined the St Albert Track and Field Club (now Mustangs) as a Peewee athlete in 1987. As a bantam she discovered her love for hurdles and was the Athletics Alberta Athlete of the year. Her commitment to the sport led to a long string of successes:

– As a Midget, Joanna placed 3rd at the Legion Nationals and held the 300mH provincial record.
– As a Juvenile, Joanna placed 2nd place at Legion Nationals in the 400mH, held the 100mH high school city record, and attended Junior Nationals.
– As a junior athlete she attended the Tri-Province and Western Canada Summer games as a member of Team Alberta.

Throughout her time with the St Albert track club as an athlete, she also took on coaching responsibilities with the Junior athletes and provided track camps for children within the community. Added to this, she also coached the Zone 5 Team for Alberta Summer Games and outreach clinics for Athletics Alberta.

Joanna later competed in the 400mH and 4x400m relay for California State University, Sacramento, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Retiring from the track she attended California State University, Los Angeles to obtain her Masters degree in Communication Disorders.

Joanna, now a mother of a young daughter, has changed her focus from sprints to long distance running and competes in road races from 5km to the 1/2 marathon.