the Krewe of the Knights of Momus and Kappa Kappa Gamma. She has also served on medical mission trips to Guatemala with Faith in Practice. In recovery since 2011, Joanie is dedicated to mental health advocacy and has served on several boards at The Council on Recovery. She is honored to chair the Chrysalis Luncheon, supporting the mission of the Hope and Healing Center & Institute. Joanie is also active at St. Martin’s and St. Francis Episcopal Churches and is a proud EHS alum and Kinkaid mom.

Through this traumatic experience, Smart has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs, and national legislation. She testified before her captor and the world about her ordeal, leading to conviction. Her courage underscores the necessity of addressing mental health and the impact of trauma, proving that it is possible to grow and find renewed strength after devastating events.

As the founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, she has helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act, and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions. Her advocacy emphasizes the importance of mental health resources and support systems for survivors. Smart chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book, My Story. She and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivor’s guide, You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment, which encourages those who have experienced trauma to know that there is hope for a rewarding life. It serves as a reminder that healing is possible and that anyone can reclaim their life. She attended Brigham Young University, studying music as a harp performance major, and later married her husband Matthew in 2012.