Joanna began her Legal Services career at the Legal Aid Society of Northwest North Carolina where she became interested in bankruptcy and consumer law. She served as a consumer law fellow at the National Consumer Law Center before joining the Volunteer Lawyers Project as staff attorney. At VLP, she expanded the eviction defense work while developing pro bono panels in bankruptcy, consumer, and foreclosure prevention. In 2015, Joanna was appointed acting director of VLP and in 2016 became the Executive Director. During that time, VLP has grown from 15 staff members to a staff of 33. Jo-anna may be reached jallison@vlpnet.org.