JoAnn Bacon
JoAnn is a mother of two children. In 2012, her life was forever altered after the death of her six-year-old daughter, Charlotte. Searching for pathways in the darkness, JoAnn, along with husband Joel, co-founded the Charlotte Helen Bacon Foundation to honor their little girl, and are publishers of the books Good Dogs, Great Listeners and The Dogs of Newtown.
In her 13 years as a bereaved mother, the MISS Foundation provided unmatched compassion and support. Frustrated with a system that does not understand traumatic grief and grieving people, JoAnn has been a strong advocate for compassionate support and understanding for this vulnerable population. She has worked as a mentor, facilitated grief retreats, and aided in the publication of a paper about victim families of a mass casualty incident.
JoAnn’s essays on grief and mass casualty incidents are featured in national publications, including TIME and Modern Loss. She has shared her personal experience and understanding of a mass incident as a speaker and panelist at the Voices of 9/11, Giving Voice to Victim’s Families Symposium. In 2013, JoAnn became a commissioner of the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial Commission in Newtown, CT. After the opening of the memorial in 2022, JoAnn continued to serve as a board member and is a steadfast advocate for Charlotte, her friends, her teachers, and their families.
JoAnn enjoys gardening, cooking, and traveling in her spare time, but her biggest joy is her children. JoAnn has a degree in Mass Communications and is a trained pastry chef.