Producer, Director & Journalist
Joanne Elgart Jennings is an award-winning journalist, multimedia producer, and strategic communicator with deep experience in international media and public affairs.
She spent nearly two decades with PBS NewsHour, producing and reporting on global conflicts, diplomacy, natural disasters, and a wide range of domestic issues, including politics, healthcare, technology, immigration, and the arts.
Her field producing took her across the United States and around the world, including the Balkans, South and Central America, the Middle East, Southern Africa, and Europe. She led the first American television crew to report from inside Saudi Arabia after 9/11 and produced multiple stories from Iran.
Earlier in her career, Joanne was a producer in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Washington bureau, producing news and feature stories from across the United States. More recently, she co-launched The Middle with Jeremy Hobson, a live national call-in radio show carried on more than 400 public media stations, where she served as senior producer.
Joanne has held senior editorial leadership roles, including Vice President of Editorial at World Affairs and Executive Producer at KQED. In these roles, she led major editorial initiatives, developed strategic partnerships, worked closely with funders, and helped modernize legacy media products for digital and live audiences.
As an independent producer and communications consultant, Joanne works with a range of nonprofit and for-profit clients. Her work focuses on podcasting, video production, strategic storytelling, public engagement, and relationship-building across sectors.
Her film credits include Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders (co-executive producer), American Umpire (executive producer), Parish Prison and Guns on Campus (producer and director), and Have You Heard From Johannesburg (associate producer).
Beyond her media career, Joanne serves as Board Secretary at Beacon House, supporting the organization’s long-standing mentorship, education, and athletic programs for underserved youth in Washington, D.C. She previously advised incarcerated journalists at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.