The Art of Reading

Joan M. Evans, PhD, is a seasoned professional whose life journey is a testament to the power of determination. Growing up in Elkhorn, Nebraska alongside her identical twin sister, Judy, and six other siblings—Joan learned the value of family. Her academic foundation at Elkhorn High School and Iowa State University led to a twenty-year career in the U.S. Army, where she served as a Lieutenant Colonel. Joan’s military service took her from experiencing the historic fall of the Berlin Wall while stationed in Germany in 1989-1992 to numerous other exciting assignments, culminating in an assignment to the Pentagon six months before 9/11. At the Pentagon, she oversaw long range funding for vital well-being programs for over a million soldiers and their families in the Active and Reserve Forces. Beyond her military career and extensive experience in human resources, well-being programs, and continuous performance improvement, Joan is a devoted mother of two boys and five step-children. She is also a grandmother of eight. In 2023, she earned her Ph.D. in Human Capital Management. Now residing in Northern Virginia with her husband, Thomas, Joan combines her 'no-nonsense' military experience with a warm, reader-friendly perspective, guiding others to build organized, meaningful, and contingency-ready lives through her writing.