Joanna Best

Joanna Boyd Best visited the NC mountains often in the summers growing up and made them her permanent home in 2007. Her passion for Exceptional Children services can be traced back to being captivated by diverse learning styles as a K-12 music teacher and in teaching singing to young children, college students and adults. She received a graduate certificate in special education and AIG from the University of Kansas and worked for four summers for the Summer Institute for the Gifted.

Born in Florida and living in New Orleans as a girl, she loves both all of what nature has to offer in rich ecosystems, as well as what humans discover in culturally intriguing settings. She received a BA with a major in music from Davidson College and a Masters in music from Appalachian State University. 

Joanna is a professional singer. She has a jump blues and swing band called Virginia and the Slims. She enjoys being involved in the community and especially with music in western NC. She has one son, Boyd, and she and her partner Tom enjoy traveling, particularly to the outer banks of NC.