People on the Move: RISD Announces Addition of Joanne Mitchell to Lead RISD Ready

People on the Move: RISD Announces Addition of Joanne Mitchell to Lead RISD Ready

In a letter to the RISD Community, President Crystal Williams announced the hiring of Joanne Mitchell to head RISD Ready!

The letter states: 

I am pleased to share that we have completed the search for our inaugural executive director of RISD Ready! Joanne Mitchell, an academic leader with rich experience in advancing student success and career readiness outcomes for emerging artists, designers, and creatives, will join RISD on August 17.

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During the interview process, Joanne demonstrated a deep understanding of the importance of collaboration and relationship building in her approach to post-graduation success–in the myriad ways individuals define it. I was impressed by her creativity and sensitivity, which allowed her to successfully work with a broad range of faculty, as well as how she has engaged community partners in academic settings, all while maintaining a student-centered approach. Further, her thoughtfulness and understanding of the developmental trajectories of artists and designers, and the ways in which art and design schools significantly differ from other models of higher education, will enable her to immediately begin to advance the goals of RISD Ready! I look forward to working with such an insightful and impactful leader.

Throughout her career in higher education, Joanne has focused on advancing student success, academic effectiveness, and post-graduation success for artists and designers. As associate provost for Educational Effectiveness and Enrollment Management at Otis College of Art & Design, Joanne served on the leadership team that developed the institution’s strategic plan for career outcomes, working closely with faculty partners to strengthen connections among curriculum, mentorship, and industry experience. This work included the creation of new internship courses, which in their first year achieved 100% internship placement for enrolled students. 

More recently, she has focused on aligning foundational workshops and advising structures to expand students’ access to professional experiences throughout their academic journey. Joanne also brings valuable experience engaging alumni and trustees in curricular and co-curricular activities that expose students to diverse career paths. Furthermore, Joanne’s commitment to equity is evident in her experience and approach to leadership. At Otis, she co-developed and co-led a summer program to support first-generation students. Her extensive experience leading student success, retention, and assessment initiatives will serve the RISD community well. 

Joanne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Economics from Wesleyan University, a Master of Public Policy and Management from Yale University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Photography/Video from California Institute of the Arts. 

RISD enlisted the expertise of WittKieffer to identify a strong pool of candidates for this national search. I would like to thank all of the staff, students, faculty, trustees, and alums who participated in this process, either through small group interviews and/or during the campus presentations. I deeply value your engagement and feedback.
 

I would also like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the members of the search committee for their time and care as we completed this inaugural search. 

Please join me in welcoming Joanne to the RISD community!

Sincerely, 

Crystal Williams 

President