Joan Blades

Joan Blades is an entrepreneur, political activist, author, and community builder renowned for co-founding some of the most influential grassroots movements and organizations in the United States. With a career that spans technology, social advocacy, and civic engagement, Blades has worked to empower citizens, strengthen family-friendly public policy, and foster constructive dialogue across political and cultural divides.

Blades began her professional journey in the technology sector. Alongside her husband Wes Boyd, she co-founded Berkeley Systems, a San Francisco Bay Area software company best known for popular products like the After Dark screensaver and the You Don’t Know Jack trivia game. After selling Berkeley Systems in 1997, Blades turned her attention to civic engagement and public advocacy.

In 1998, Blades and Boyd launched MoveOn.org, initially as an online petition campaign that evolved into a major progressive political advocacy group mobilizing millions of Americans. She went on to co-found MomsRising.org in 2006 with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, an organization that uses grassroots organizing to advocate for issues affecting families, such as paid family leave, flexible work policies, and economic security. Blades also co-founded Living Room Conversations, an open-source initiative designed to rebuild respectful civil discourse by bringing people of diverse backgrounds together around structured conversations.

As an author, Blades has written and co-authored several books addressing practical and social issues, including "Mediate Your Divorce," "The Motherhood Manifesto" (which won the Ernesta Drinker Ballard Book Prize in 2007), and "The Custom-Fit Workplace" (winner of a Nautilus Book Award in 2011). Her work often reflects her commitment to collaborative problem-solving, equitable workplace practices, and citizen engagement.

Trained as an attorney and mediator, Blades combines her legal insight with entrepreneurial creativity and a deep belief in the power of ordinary citizens to effect change. Beyond her organizational leadership, she is known as a nature lover, artist, and advocate for civil discourse who continues to shape conversations around public policy, community resilience, and democratic participation.