Personal Profile

GRAD Alum
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Joanna Conti

A researcher and advocate working to improve the effectiveness of addiction treatment

Building upon my experience as a scientist, researcher, software developer and serial entrepreneur, I founded Vista Research Group to provide addiction treatment leaders with the outcomes data they need to measure and improve their treatment effectiveness.   Now that a critical mass of treatment centers are measuring their outcomes, my daughter and I founded the nonprofit Conquer Addiction to help families find the rehabs with the best independently-validated success rates.

Prior to my current focus, I have started and run successful software, marketing and nonprofit companies.  As one example, I founded the Alliance for Youth Achievement, which helped tens of thousands of orphans in Africa and Asia through microcredit and microgrant projects, child and school fee sponsorships, a teacher training program, and building 55 classrooms and 3 group homes.  I'm also a reformed politician, having run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress and for Anne Arundel County Executive.  As the 2004 Democratic nominee for Colorado's Congressional District 6, I outraised a sitting member of Congress and won the endorsement of 3 of the 4 papers in the district.