ISSUP Staff in the Spotlight: Joanna Travis-Roberts

What do you enjoy most about working for ISSUP?

That's a tricky question, because there are so many different elements to my work. I love presenting ISSUP and meeting people who are using and benefiting from our outputs, I always find their opinion insightful. I think we have a great team and our staff meetings are very creative and productive, especially when we’re putting our heads together to develop ideas or solve a problem.

What three words best describe ISSUP?

Knowledge, Communication, Network

Where do you see ISSUP in 5 years’ time?

I’m excited to see the impact of our development on the ground at the national level. I think our audience will greatly benefit from accessing ISSUP within their own countries. I’m also looking forward to the ISSUP event gaining momentum to see how that can benefit professionals on the ground as it moves around the world from region to region.

If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?

I’d do something creative… curate an exhibition at the Tate, be a stylist on a Vogue shoot, choreograph a ballet, carve a sculpture, direct a film, pen a poem… All things I wouldn’t know where to start on with my skillset, but things I admire and would love to be able to do!

Do you have a favourite place to visit?

I have too many to mention without boring our lovely readers! I go with my family to France each year, and love the French Alps in the summer. I love sitting in the mountains admiring the view and absorbing the French culture. But, I love the city as well, an aerial view over London or New York is equally breathtaking!

If you could meet anyone from history who would it be, and why?

I would like to meet Aphra Behn who was one of the first British women to be paid for her writing. I would love to know the lengths she went to to achieve such a ground-breaking achievement and to take with me a pile of books written by notable female authors who have followed in her footsteps.

I’d also love to meet an architect from any period before the industrial revolution. I find their achievements inspirational. I’d love to watch as they organised their workforces to create their beautiful buildings. Imagine building a cathedral entirely by hand!

What three words best describe you?

Friendly, compassionate, positive.

What are you most proud of?

I am extremely proud of my wonderful kids. At the ages of 7 and 9 they’ve grown and changed immeasurably over the years and they are brilliant, funny, creative and brave little individuals who make me smile a thousand times a day.