JoAnna Leon
Director, WERC Membership & Managing Director, CICMHE
Material Handling Industry (MHI)
Charlotte, North Carolina

JoAnna Leon has over 20 years of experience in association management and is currently the Director of WERC Membership & MHI-CICMHE at MHI. She leads strategic membership initiatives, enhances industry-academia collaborations, and develops workforce development programs. She also manages VIP engagement for the WERC Annual Conference, fostering connections between industry professionals, educators, and emerging leaders.

Previously, she served as Administrator for Chapter & Member Services at PCMA, where she oversaw 17 regional chapters, optimized leadership development programs, and successfully increased membership engagement.

JoAnna has completed the ReadyMe Leadership Academy, Association Membership Growth Certificate, and MHI Industry Leadership Program. She actively contributes to the association community as the Membership SIG Chair for the Association Forum and as a mentor in MHI’s Leadership Program.

Her thought leadership extends to webinars and publications on workforce development, student-industry collaborations, and membership retention strategies. She has been recognized for her contributions with the Greater Midwest Chapter PCMA President’s Award.

JoAnna holds a strong passion for fostering professional communities, supporting industry educators and students, and driving membership growth. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling with her husband and taking long walks with her dogs, Bo and Logan, and mentoring her two daughters as they enter adulthood and the association community in their first jobs after college.