Joanne McCree

Joanne serves as a member of the AvoLead LLC Board of Managers. In more than 20 years with IBM, she led in a corporation undergoing transformational change – cultural, strategic, product and business model. As VP of HR for the Systems Group, Joanne was part of a top team, contributing to the success of IBM’s global hardware business by implementing leadership, talent, competitiveness and climate initiatives. She is convinced of the benefit to organizations that integrate excellent people leadership practices with excellent business leadership practices.

One of her proudest moments was representing IBM’s Rochester, MN site as a 1997 Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award winner in Washington, demonstrating how initiatives in people management directly contribute to outstanding quality. Her experience in coaching C-level executives and in the engineering, sales, marketing and services businesses led her to create her own executive coaching business in 2004. She is a leadership development consultant and adjunct faculty at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL and an executive coach with the Western Management Development Center in Denver.

A Board Certified Coach (BCC), Joanne received her Bachelor of Science from Macalester College, Master of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University and Master of Science in Industrial Relations from the University of Wisconsin.

Membership on several non-profit boards has given her much personal satisfaction and reinforced her belief in a “pay it forward” philosophy. Her work to help businesses derive value through diversity initiatives resulted in a Woman of the Year award from the YWCA in New York City.

Joanne and her husband, Pete, reside in Venice, FL. They are avid golfers and love to travel. Having completed an Ayurvedic cooking class, Joanne, a gourmet cook, believes that “food is medicine” and delights in making delicious, healthful dishes for family and friends. In another life, Joanne (with Scandinavian and German heritage) is convinced she was Italian and continues to study the Italian language.