It was during my first semester at Harvard that I fell in love with negotiation and realized I had already been doing plenty of negotiating.

When my negotiation professor asked who in the room had negotiation experience, I thought of the many conflicts I mediated between my students after recess and the persuasive strategies I would use to get a student to focus on the task at hand.

Hi, I'm

Joan

In fact, my 7 years as a Bronx Schoolteacher were probably the best informal negotiation training I could have had.

 

During my two-year master’s program, I worked with various negotiation professors learning not only the fundamental negotiation skills and theory but also a lot about what the research showed on the bias that women face in negotiation.

I was infuriated by the uneven playing field, and determined to do something about it.

As the chair of the women’s student organization on campus and the founder of a negotiation coaching program, I pitched the idea of a coaching program specifically for women and got it funded by the women’s research center on campus.

When I graduated, I stayed on at Harvard as a full-time negotiation coach to run an entire negotiation coaching portfolio.

What I learned is that there is high demand for negotiation coaching for women.

We’ve been inundated with statistics about the gender pay gap

and an inaccurate narrative that women are “worse” negotiators.

Yet, we often don’t have the necessary skills and training to negotiate around gender and racial bias successfully.

I was receiving so many referrals which led me to start Moon Negotiation, LLC.

 
 

In my coaching sessions, I strive to create spaces that validate the lived experiences of my clients while also being honest and incisively strategic. My goal is to guide my clients through their current negotiation.

I also want to leave them with long-lasting, research-based strategies so that they can continue to advocate for themselves long after our work together.

I love what I do.

I get to meet awesome women, support them through what are often difficult and emotional negotiations, and watch them succeed.

My Journey

Joan's Education

  • BA in Education and Sociology Emory University

  • MS in Education
    Hunter College

  • Master in Public Policy
    Harvard Kennedy School
    Chair of the Women's Caucus

Joan's Negotiation Experience

  • Mediation Certified
    The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

  • Researcher and Founding Coach
    Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Collaboratory
    Center for Public Leadership
    Harvard Kennedy School

  • Founding Coach
    Career Negotiation Coaching Program
    Harvard Kennedy School

  • Research Fellow
    Women and Public Policy Program
    Harvard Kennedy School

Joan's Other Professional Experience

  • Bronx Schoolteacher
    Taught 6th grade for seven years, rated Highly Effective in the NYC teacher evaluation system, ranking in top 11% of 100,000 teachers

  • Management Consultant Deloitte

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