Joan Osato has played a pivotal role in local and national theater for over two decades and has been a core member of Youth Speaks since 2001, where she produces live performance events for the organization including Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival as well as Life is Living in cities around the country. As an artist and producer she is an awardee of prestigious grants from the MAP Fund, Wattis Foundation, Surdna, NEFA, Prix de Photographie and the Arte Laguna Prize 2017. She is proud Board Member of the National Performance Network/Visual Artist Network (NPN/VAN), and CAATA.