About Joan D. Dickinson

Joan D. Dickinson is the founder of TLC Strategies, a learning and leadership company dedicated to helping students, young professionals, educators and non-profit organizations strengthen how they collaborate, lead and communicate.

Inspired by her 27 years in leadership positions in higher education, along with 10 years as an adjunct lecturer, Joan created TLC Strategies to bring vital humanist skills to a broader audience.

A lifelong educator and communicator, Joan wrote each syllabus and taught courses at a leading research university that blend purpose with practice including for a leading research university and medical center:

Storytelling for Social Justice

Communication Methods and Strategies

Working in Teams

Discovering Your Identity By Exploring Your Community

Through her workshops, coaching and speaking engagements, she helps learners of all ages develop confidence, clarity and connection -- the foundation for authentic leadership and meaningful learning, and the skills that set humans apart from AI.

Joan has coached hundreds of students and young professionals on finding their voice and passion. She guides them so they can discover their own strength and purpose.

One of her most popular strategies for building bridges in the community was to partner with schools and non-profit organizations to create hands-on learning experiences. This was done in collaboration with the staff and faculty at the university. Programs ranged from a campus and community day that brought in 5,000 people, to high school students creating their own TV show at the studio, to STEM-focused projects such as the “Appliance Autopsy.”

Her leadership and community work have earned her multiple honors, including the New York State Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service, the Presidential Award from the International Town & Gown Association (ITGA) and recognition as a Town of Brookhaven (New York) Hometown Hero for directing a COVID-19 donation program that delivered over one million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) and 18,000 meals to Stony Brook University Hospital.

Titles by Joan D. Dickinson

Joan is the author of TLC for the Savvy Student: Teamwork, Leadership and Communication Coaching for the Teen and College Years

Children's Book: It's Halloween-a-doon!

And an early-career biography, Bill Gates: Billionaire Computer Genius.