Joy Polefrone brings more than two decades of business leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, and organizational strategy experience to her work as a Senior Advisor with America Achieves. She has been an accomplished scientist, launched a non-profit start-up, led marketing for a rapidly growing venture, and was head of people strategy for a large global business unit. She views the world through this diverse lens — consistently adding a multifaceted perspective to resolve complex problems, while helping to build leaders, teams, and organizations that align their systems with their values.
Having recently led the Alliance for Building Better Medicine, a BBBRC-funded U.S.-based cluster of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturers, researchers and economic developers in the Richmond-Petersburg region, Joy was able to integrate her experiences to design teams and programs that deliver innovation and impact in her own backyard. She continues to consult with coalition partners in the Richmond-Petersburg region, serving as the Regional Innovation Officer for the EDA Designated Tech Hub, led by Alliance-member organization, the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing.
Joy earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Chemistry, earning her PhD from the University of Virginia in 2007. Additionally, Joy has been a meditation and yoga teacher since 2001 and an executive and leadership coach since 2020. She lives in Richmond, Virginia — a stone’s throw from the James River — with her partner, two bonus kiddos, and their small circus of animals.