Curious | Data-Driven| Action-Oriented | Motivating

I began as an energetic advocate for social change. My passion for my work took over my life which lead to chronic stress and feeling I was never doing enough.

Now, I use my knowledge + experiences to change how we work and how we lead.

Johnanna Ganz, Ph.D., (name only/they) is a systems-thinking, data-focused pragmatist who looks for opportunities to turn theory and ideas into action. As the founder of J. Ganz Consulting, LLC, Johnanna’s passion lies in increasing the sustainability of mission-driven agencies and their people.

In Dr. Ganz’s doctoral research, Johnanna studied occupational and organizational identity development in victim advocates and their agencies using quantitative and qualitative approaches. This research is the basis of the tools and trainings Johnanna uses to work in deep collaboration with mission-driven staff and leaders as they build their skills around healthy occupational identities and organizational cultures. Johnanna approaches every project and relationship with the philosophy of, “Let’s do better, together.”

Dr. Ganz has served in a variety of mission-driven roles, particularly focused on ending gendered violence in local, state, territory, and national communities. Some of Johnanna’s prior roles include adjunct professor of Sociology and Women’s/Gender Studies, Domestic Violence Victim Advocate, Sexual Assault Response Team Leader, Systems Change Program Manager, Rural Projects Coordinator for a national training and technical assistance provider, and the Sexual Violence Justice Institute Director. Johnanna has also had the privilege of serving as a grant reviewer for the Office on Violence Against Women (2020-2023), an adjunct faculty of Hamline University in the Social Change and Social Justice Department (Fall 2022), a member of the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Alliance on Crime (2021-2022), and the Policy Subcommittee Co-Chair for the National Taskforce on Advocate Wellness (2023-present).

Purpose Statement

To build individual and organizational identity management skills through liberatory and transformational training, coaching, and consulting. To create balanced and sustainable careers in mission-driven work where everyone thrives—staff, volunteers, clients, and community.

How Do I Get Us There?

My role is to foster healthy and sustainable mission-driven individuals and organizations through building their individual and collective knowledge and skills. We will grow through just, equitable, and collaborative relationships that center integrity and curiosity as pillars that inform all words and actions.

Vision

Through working in deep collaboration, I envision a world where all mission-driven people and agencies will have the resources and support to replace deeply harmful narratives, practices, and ways of connecting to the mission with sustainable strategies that leave staff and agencies stronger.

Using our shared dedication to transforming occupational and organizational identity management, all mission-driven people and places will have renewed energy for developing skills, practices, and policies that support sustainable and enjoyable models of work.

Johnanna’s Guiding Values

  • Being compassionately honest, direct, and focused on advancing justice and equity in our work; persevering through the difficult moments, celebrating wins together, and using my skills to work in your best interests.

    In action, you can expect open and direct conversations about your needs, patterns I see, the quality of our work together, identifying when I am not the right resource, or co-determining how to approach our work together. This also means you can expect that I respond to your questions or growth-based feedback with openness and grace.

  • Centering open-mindedness, cultural humility, and building an on-going process of continuous learning through data-driven analysis about facts and feelings.

    I believe that everyone has the power to change their days, their work, and their lives through learning how to do things differently and adapting to changing circumstances. In our work this may look like clarifying goals or outcomes, inviting your feedback on our work, and a willingness to learn from each client and project. This may also look like asking hard questions with the goal of prompting deeper inquiry or to push past plateaus as we work towards your personal or organizational goals.

  • Building courageously liberatory and transformational relationships to advance ideas, skills, or outcomes that cultivate high levels of mutual investment in one another through respect, clear communication, and generative conflict.

    In our work this may look like compassionately challenging you to address potential areas of bias and/or expressions of privilege, co-creating ideas and solutions through effective facilitation, building clear expectations around accountability, or connecting you to additional resources or providers that build your skills and networks.

Let's Do Better, Together!