Here are 4 awesome reasons why we chose Joanne as our Woman of the New Year!

1)  Her hysterical laugh!  When I see Joanne at the WE Festival in January, I'm going to make a recording of her laugh and store it on my iPhone for dreary winter days when nothing is funny!  It finally dawned on me -- the person who gets the biggest kick out of Joanne's laugh is Joanne!!  How awesome is that??

2)  Joanne's Gotham Gal blogs: insightful, whimsical, and a daily "must read."   Every time she posts a picture of a food dish that she's just made or ordered in a restaurant, I want to reach into my computer and eat it!

3)  Her passion for advising, and strategically connecting, the smartest women in startup land, particularly in Silicon Alley.

4)  Her best line ever: "Women get sh** done!"   

Here's Joanne in her own words:  

I have had many careers. Buyer at Macys, ran a company in the rag trade, dabbled in a few friends businesses, spearheaded sales of a start-up magazine/e-zine/events company in Silicon Alley, chaired a non-profit organization focused on technology in inner city schools (that I am still involved with ), sat on our kids school board/exec board for years, sat on a few other profit and non-profit boards, continue to be involved with start-ups by investing money and time.

Been involved with more real estate transactions ( from beginning to end ) than I care to mention.

Am involved with politics too but try to keep it on the down low.

Just try to stick to the things I enjoy like doing the NYTimes crossword daily.

I work out a few times a week although would be very interested in taking a pill once a day so I don’t have to.

I love to cook and bake. Really enjoy entertaining from 2 people to 25 for a dinner party. Love a good party.

Really enjoy traveling and planning the trip. Where to eat, what to see, where to stay, etc.

I love collecting emerging artists and watching their careers blossom, just as I like watching companies grow.

Enjoy going to see the theater and live music.

I am a voracious reader and have been my entire life. Books, blogs and magazines.

I try hard to stay on the cutting edge. New restaurants, new music ( love alternative music and always have), new fashions/trends, new stores, etc.

My husband is my best friend. At the end of the day, my most important job is being a Mom. We have 3 kids who are terrific people.

Someone called me the “woman around town” which I thought was quite appropriate. All and all, I’m a very lucky Gotham Gal.