Joni Bryan

I fell in love with social impact work in 1995 at my first job, where i worked almost 4 years at a camp deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas. In the 25 years of my career since, I have worked with all levels of nonprofit organizations and businesses: from micro-organizations with few or no paid staff, to enterprise organizations with staff and offices all over the world. I have founded 2 successful nonprofit organizations (including Amplify), and worked with hundreds of others in fundraising, direct service/programs, impact measurement, case management, administration, process design, and training. My passion is with coaching and enabling staff within grassroots community organizations to use technology, information, and streamlined process to gain more insight on their work and more efficiently carry out their work - giving them more capacity to educate, feed, heal, advocate, and change our world. I've worked extensively in the Salesforce ecosystem over the past decade and am currently in the Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame.

As a white-passing person of Cherokee descent, I recognize my inherent privilege and contribution to a society that promotes racism, xenophobia, bigotry, and white supremacy. I actively work to recognize and dismantle these institutions through my work with organizations who are pursuing the same end, as well as through amplifying marginalized voices around me.

As a queer person and LGBTQIA activist in America, I am well-acquainted with the challenges experienced by our LGBTQIA communities, particularly in the southern United States, and I actively work to dismantle homophobia and transphobia through storytelling and education. I believe that connection happens in sharing our stories, and I see my own story as a love story in progress. I am presently working on a new project called "Wild Lore", which aims to help individuals who have experienced societally inflicted trauma to reframe and reclaim their narrative, and rewrite their future.

I am a masters student at Saybrook University, where I am studying mind-body medicine and integrated health and wellness. I live in Denton Texas with my rainbow family consisting of a husband, 3 teenagers, two dogs, and a cat. I am passionate about writing and telling stories, riding my motorcycle, and making new stories to tell.