“To repair the world we must share positivity, nurture the best in others, raise people up, keep a strong sense of humor, and build leadership so we can all do our best possible work.“

She joined GLAAD to find an organization in deep financial crisis ($360 in the bank), led it out of the depths to a place of prominence and impact. From the accurate coverage of the murder of Matthew Shepard to the successful lobbying of The New York Times to include gay and lesbian couples on its wedding pages, Garry’s strategy was clear: keep GLAAD focused on the media because the road to acceptance begins with visibility and understanding.

After her eight-year run at GLAAD, Garry built on this expertise and became a successful political fundraiser, co-chairing the LGBTQ Finance Committee for the Obama 2008 Presidential campaign. In addition, she served in a leadership position on a large national board, rounding out her experience of playing every position on the nonprofit field.

She brings all of this experience to her work as the Principal of Joan Garry Consulting. Joan is called upon by some of the nation’s largest organizations as an executive coach and strategic advisor. Her sweet spot is coaching new CEOs following “long and strong” leaders, navigating leadership transitions with staff and boards and working with executive leadership teams to strengthen the ability of the team to lead with the CEO. The Legal Aid Society, the Ms. Foundation for Women, The Union for Reform Judaism, and The Trevor Project are among the many organizations Garry is proud to call clients.

Her blog for board and staff leaders of nonprofits reaches 100,000 unique leaders monthly from over 150 countries and her highly popular podcast Nonprofits Are Messy has had over 2 million listens from 207 countries.

Lastly, she is the founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, the best online resource offering content and community to board and staff leaders of small nonprofits who can afford neither coaching nor consulting. Now in its 5th year, The Lab has supported over 13,000 leaders from North America and around the world.

Joan is an educator at heart and spent five years as an Adjunct Instructor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania where she taught Nonprofit Communications Strategy and Media and Social Change to undergraduate seniors.

Speaking of education, Joan is a graduate of Fordham University and serves on the Executive Committee of its President’s Council.

The 2nd edition of her book, Joan Garry’s Guide To Nonprofit Leadership (John Wiley and Sons) was published in 2020.

Joan lives in NJ with her wife of nearly 40 years. Joan and Eileen were plaintiffs in a 1993 landmark NJ court case granting a lesbian couple a second parent adoption. Their three grown children all legally have two mothers, whether they like it or not.

If you are introducing me at an event, please use the bio at this link.

What My Bio Doesn’t Tell You

Don King was responsible for my move into LGBTQ rights. Yes, THAT Don King – like the boxing guy with the big hair.

So, when I first began my career, it had nothing to do with the nonprofit world at all. I was part of the management team that launched MTV Networks in 1981 and spent the next 15 years in executive positions in the entertainment industry.

Ultimately, meeting the boxing promoter Don King was the catalyst that drove me to nonprofit.

We met in the 1990s when I was building a pay-per-view business for Showtime. The profits were all in boxing and so my primary role was managing the joint venture between Showtime and Don King. I went to big fights in Las Vegas and sat close enough to see and feel the sweat fly.

OK, I hate boxing. But I learned to be fearless and learned to advocate for Showtime Networks. One of my roles was to ensure that Don King paid us for our share of the profits after each fight. It was kind of like fundraising.

After a few years of this, I had this “aha moment” (which by the way is officially a word in the dictionary as of 2012). My skills and attributes could be put to better use. Maybe I could make a difference. And so I set my sights on nonprofit leadership.

Leading GLAAD

In 1997 at the age of 39 I was named executive director of GLAAD and I can say without hesitation – the experience was transformative. For me and for GLAAD.

I was a successful nonprofit CEO and I loved it. I brought my for-profit business and management skills with me and they added real value to a then-floundering organization. But it was what I learned that was the greatest gift – what it means to manage and motivate people not drawn to work by their year-end bonuses, how to engage people, how to build consensus and how to raise money.

During my tenure, I was a national spokesperson for gay rights in print and on television. I spoke with every conservative talk show host. Jerry Falwell and I went at it on more than a few occasions. My favorite encounter was a debate over the sexual orientation of a purple stuffed animal named Tinky Winky.

Our team at GLAAD created campaigns that had impact. When you open the Sunday New York Times and see the same sex wedding announcements in the Style Section, know that this did not just happen. We made it happen.

When Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s television show was cancelled in 2000, when every major advertiser pulled away from her show, when Billy Crystal poked fun at her homophobic remarks during an Oscar telecast, this did not just happen. This was the work of a smart, strategic team of media advocates who built an award winning campaign (PR Week, Non Profit Team of the Year, 2000).

I Have Been My Clients

I do believe that this is part of my secret sauce. I have been a CEO, a corporate sponsor, a donor and a board leader. As a result, I anticipate well and am a compassionate truth teller. I am a fierce advocate for my clients but most importantly, their missions. 

My clients will tell you that I am smart, that I ask very good questions and that my advice is both clear and practical. They will also tell you that my sense of humor comes in very handy.

I feel an enormous sense of joy and privilege about the work that I do and am proud through my work as a strategic advisor, as a keynote speaker and columnist for The Chronicle of Philanthropy and through my Nonprofit Leadership Lab, I offer actionable advice and good counsel to organizations of all sizes and at every stage of their journeys.