Joanna Gammon ’05
Humanitarian Award
For her 30th birthday, rather than throwing a huge party with friends and family, Joanna Gammon decided to do something a little different. She saw the milestone as an opportunity to make a difference in the Charlotte community, so she started putting together ideas on how to best contribute.
“Joanna’s Barefoot 30” was born, a 5k race in which she and others ran barefoot to raise awareness for Samaritan’s Feet, an organization that distributes shoes to those in poverty who cannot afford such basic needs. The event helped raise $10,000 and 40 pairs of shoes to donate.
“Servant Leadership” is how Laura Belcher, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Charlotte, describes Joanna. Her goal is to impact as many lives as possible through her service. As a board member at Habitat Charlotte, she traveled to El Salvador to assist on a team that built a new home for those who had previously lived in shacks with dirt floors.
A 2005 graduate of the Belk College of Business, Joanna earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and has been active in both the University and Charlotte communities since. An inaugural board member of the Charlotte Young Professionals, she currently serves as the Wisdom Chair where she advocates for young professionals by connecting them with opportunities to find their passion and make a difference.
Joanna has served on many boards, including United Way Young Leaders, the YWCA 1902 Society Council, and the UNC Charlotte Alumni Board of Directors, where she created the Community Engagement Committee to get alumni involved in community volunteering. The youngest person to ever serve on the UNC Charlotte Foundation Board, Joanna was recently honored by Charlotte Business Journal as one of Charlotte’s “40 under 40.”
She has volunteered with a number of organizations, including United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Second Harvest Food Bank, Crisis Assistance Ministry, Urban League of Central Carolinas, and KinderMourn, with the YWCA topping her list due to its mission to empower women and eliminate racism.
In 2014, she traveled with Samaritan’s Feet to Haiti after the country’s devastating earthquake, helping wash the feet of orphans and other underserved persons who would then receive a donated pair of shoes. “Joanna is one of the most compassionate, dynamic, hardworking, successful champions of our cause and community,” writes Manny Ohonme, Founder, President & CEO of Samaritan’s Feet International.
Joanna’s unrelenting service to both the local and international communities has impacted the lives of many. The numerous causes she supports all have a significant place in her heart.