B.S. in Computer Science, 2001
Bio submitted by Lio:
So, you want to be a <hero>? JoAnna, growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, loved playing adventure games as a kid. She was inspired to become a game developer when she read a letter to the editor of her favorite magazine, Sierra On-Line’s “InterAction,” from a reader who said Sierra’s games were a precious escape when her chronic illness flared up. JoAnna did not know how she could contribute to game development, so she chose computer science because games need engineers and, conveniently, so do a bunch of other industries. She double majored in English purely for the love of the truth that stories can convey. Choosing the University of Kentucky was easy because UK provided the best value thanks to her being in Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts and Governor’s Scholar Program.
While at UK, she hustled to get into every class that interested her, including ones in other departments. She received a scholarship from the International Game Developers Association to attend the Game Developers Conference. From there, she knew she was hooked on this seemingly impossible dream. She did two co-ops with Structural Dynamics Research Corporation, programming for their CAD/CAM and PLM tools. She attended Indiana University’s graduate program in Immersive Mediated Environments to refine her skills. She interned as a community manager on EA Games where she worked on the “James Bond,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Battlefield” and “Medal of Honor” franchises. She did a second internship as a production assistant for “The Urbz: Sims in the City” and discovered her calling to be a producer.
Her full game career has been with Electronic Arts (EA), a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. Every day has been her dream job. Based at EA’s headquarters in Redwood City, California, she currently serves as a production director on The Sims™ franchise within the Maxis studio. She leads interdisciplinary teams in delivering high-definition interactive experiences to hundreds of millions of players on PC/Mac, console, and mobile platforms, spanning from “The Sims 2” through “The Sims 4”. These games empower people’s creativity as storytellers, builders, and tinkerers. At Maxis, “we exist to make the world better through creative play.”
JoAnna is a member of UK’s Computer Science advisory board, Fully Alive Community Church and volunteered with Unfolding Adventures for Women, encouraging women to explore the outdoors.
