Meet the December 2023 Community Superhero: JoAnna Damson

During the holidays, the terms peace, hope, and joy surface quickly and are spoken more frequently than at any other time of year. However, Assistant District Attorney, and December Community Superhero, JoAnna Damson, brings peace, hope, and joy to the children and families she serves year-round. As an Assistant District Attorney on the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, a member of the National Children’s Advocacy Center’s Young Professional Advisory Council, and a mom of two, JoAnna has dedicated herself personally and professionally to the advocacy of children in our community.

As a teenager, JoAnna knew that she wanted to become a lawyer and an advocate for children but thought she would do so through a career in Family Law. Because of her deep-rooted passion for helping children, her freshman year of college she joined a sorority with the national philanthropy of child abuse prevention-the Epsilon Lambda chapter of Kappa Delta. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree from Auburn University, she was accepted into Belmont University- College of Law where she completed her JD. During her time in law school, she accepted an Internship with the National Children’s Advocacy Center, where she became inspired and found a passion for her current position in the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit. “This position allows me to seek justice in the best way,” said JoAnna.

For the past four years, JoAnna has worked tirelessly to ensure that children and families who have suffered abuse receive the healing, closure, and safety they deserve. Balancing her fast-paced career with the demands of being a mom of two young children reveals just how selfless and committed to child advocacy JoAnna truly is. In fact, she said the hardest part of her job is “Knowing when I have done all I can do and when to walk away”. With so many lives impacted and changed in only four short years, calling JoAnna a “superhero” feels like the understatement of the century. The National Children’s Advocacy Center and Redstone Federal Credit Union are honored to share Assistant District Attorney, JoAnna Damson’s, story and are humbled by the selfless work that she does every day to protect the children in our community.

Our December Superhero is brought to you by: