Joan Freedman

Senior Academic Advisor/Success Coach, KSAS

Joan Freedman brings 20+ years of experience working at JHU to her role as an Academic Advisor/Success Coach in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. Joan uses her skills as a board-certified counselor to help students identify their core strengths and create individualized career paths.

A native “New Yawker” and first-generation college student, Joan earned a BFA from SUNY Purchase with a focus on theater design. She spent 10 years in the San Francisco Bay Area designing interactive learning experiences in museums and as an interface designer in Silicon Valley. She came to Hopkins to earn her first MS in Instructional Design from the JHU School of Education. Her first position here was developing educational software for students at the School of Medicine.

Joan moved to the Homewood campus as the founding director of the Digital Media Center. She advised student groups, supported career development through engagement, and worked closely with faculty to integrate experiential learning into the student experience. This advisory role led her to return to the School of Education, and in 2016 received an MS in Counseling.

Joan enjoys yoga, knitting, long-distance walking, and welcoming new people into her life. She volunteers with local social justice organizations and as a career counselor and life-design mentor.