AUSTRALIA DAY AMBASSADOR 2024 MS JOANNE TARANTO Jo trained as an Occupational Therapist, graduating from the University of Queensland with Honours in 2004, and has worked internationally in mental health, community development and rehabilitation settings.
Ms Joanne Taranto is Director and Co-founder of Good for the Hood, Sustainability Engagement Consultant and Speaker. Jo Taranto is a Sydneybased community advocate and sustainability educator. Jo grew up in Tenterfield NSW and was the fifth generation to have lived on her family farm. As a child Jo lived through the extreme drought of the 1990s and saw the devastation and toll it took on her family and community.
Completing a Diploma in Health, Safety and Environment in 2009, Jo moved into corporate health and safety, working for more than 10 years with clients like Victoria Police and as the National Safety Manager for a private aged-care provider. After witnessing the increasing climate extremes of this decade and becoming a mother, in 2018 Jo co-founded social enterprise consultancy Good for the Hood, with a mission to create more connected and sustainable communities all over Australia.
Through her efforts, she has been nominated for Citizen of the Year in her own community of Ryde and won several awards including Volunteer Group of the Year for her local campaigns. Jo has worked with more than 200 local government areas and has appeared on national television and media outlets sharing her passion for good citizenship and sustainability. She is currently working as the co-host of a new Channel 10 television series called Planet Shapers. Jo passionately believes in the role grassroots solutions play in strengthening the social and ecological connection of communities. She advocates that everyone has a role to play in making their community or organisation a positive force for good.