Joni Cooper, Founding Director

Joni left a 10-year government career within Engineering and Architecture for the national parks region of western Canada to go to film school, and soon after entered the not-so-glamorous life of independent film. After surfing that chaos for awhile, she spent 15 years dividing her time managing the content and programming for the Banff World Television Festival; as guest services director for the California Film Institute; and consulting with film and television festivals around the world. While these projects furthered her core objectives to cultivate partnerships for business and professional development—especially within developing markets, she wanted to expand her purpose and put her 15+ years of non-profit experience toward more complete ends. And that’s exactly when In Balance International came a’ calling. She believes that a world In Balance is within reach.