Joanna Skinner
View All StaffJoanna Skinner
Deputy Project Director, PROPEL
Joanna joined IYF in 2025 as the Deputy Project Director (Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion) for USAID's global Promoting Results and Outcomes through Policy and Economic Levers (PROPEL) Youth and Gender project.
Joanna is a recognized gender expert with nearly two decades of experience in gender equality, social and behavior change (SBC), and sexual and reproductive health (SRH), with a focus on adolescents and youth. Prior to joining IYF, Joanna served as the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Lead at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, where she spearheaded initiatives to address systemic inequalities and promote inclusive programming. For the last seven years, she was the Sexual and Reproductive Health Technical Team Lead and Gender Advisor for the $504M USAID-funded Breakthrough ACTION project. Joanna is passionate about designing social and behavior change programs that address gender as a social determinant of health, as well as creating innovative and impact-driven gender transformative approaches to achieve gender equality. A collaborative leader, she fosters professional growth within diverse teams, ensuring excellence in project delivery.
Joanna's educational background includes a MHS in Behavioural Sciences and Health Education from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an MA in East Asian Studies from Harvard University, and a BA in Chinese from the School of Oriental and Africa Studies, University of London.