Joan Pickett

A resident of Mid-Cambridge for the past 26 years, Joan Pickett is currently serving her first term on the Cambridge City Council. She will bring a strong background in planning and municipal finance to the Council as well as leadership skills from her professional experiences and working with several community organizations.

Raised in New Hampshire, Joan was the first in her family to attend college, receiving a degree in biology from Boston College. She went on to receive two masters’ degrees: one in public health and one in business administration from Columbia University in New York City, where she launched a career in commercial lending and municipal bond finance at Standard & Poor’s bond rating agency

At Standard and Poor's, Joan headed the nationwide healthcare, higher education and not-for-profit rating group. In 1997, she returned to the Boston area and spent more than 20 years working closely with both academic and community physicians and staff in strategic planning and business development for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Joan is a committed community leader, having actively served both the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association (past president) and Cambridge Streets for All (past chairman). Her volunteer experience also includes serving the Charles River Conservancy as board chair and finance committee chair, and she was a founding board member of Caring Canines Pet Therapy.

She will work to improve community engagement to ensure council policies reflect broad community sentiment, not just the voice of a few. Streets that function well for all users and are safe will be a priority along with the development of a comprehensive transportation plan with input from all stakeholders. With Joan’s background in municipal finance, she will focus on maintaining the city’s strong financial position and increase transparency and accountability in the city’s spending.

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