BIO

Dr. Joanne Kong has been praised throughout the country as one of the most compelling advocates for plant-sourced nutrition today, raising ethical awareness that greater compassion for animals and our planet are vitally necessary for transformative growth and positive world change. Her talks have been described as “a positive message about the way our daily choices can make the world a better place for others and for ourselves,” “making a difference and encouraging positive change to happen,” and “enlightening and provocative.” Some of Joanne’s presentations include appearances at San Francisco World Veg Fest, Veggie Pride Parade, NAVS Vegan Summerfest, Sedona Veg Fest, Spokane VegFest, Cincy VegFest, Richmond Vegetarian Festival, Oakland VegFest, Red & Green VegFest, Asheville VegFest, Sarasota VegFest, VegFest Colorado, Friends Not Food Festival, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Peace Advocacy Network, National Animal Rights Day in Washington, D. C., Milwaukee Veg Expo, Eugene Veg Education Network, PCRM Plant-Based Climate Summit, Climate Healers’ Vegan World Converence 2026, Compassion Arts Festival, and numerous university talks: College of William and Mary, Rollins College, Ohio State University, Brigham Young University, University of Washington, New York University, Tufts University, MIT, University of Southern California, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. Her highly-praised TEDx talk on veganism, at over 1,000,000 views on YouTube, is placed on numerous websites internationally and she is listed with the Speakers Bureau of the American Vegan Society. Kong is the author of If You’ve Ever Loved an Animal, Go Vegan, is profiled in Legends of Change about vegan women who are changing the world, and she is editor of the highly-praised 2021 book, Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers, released by Lantern Publishing & Media. Leading plant-based doctor Dr. Michael Klaper cited her work in a 2018 newsletter article, “People Who Give Me Hope.” With advocacy activities praised around the world, she has given presentations in Italy, Spain, Germany, Norway, Canada, and promoted veganism in a 3-week, 10-city tour of India. Dr. Kong appears in the major documentary Eating Our Way to Extinction narrated by Kate Winslet, produced the powerful video, An Urgent Plea for Healing: Cherish All Animals, and is a Sustainability Leadership Award recipient at the University of Richmond. Dr. Kong currently serves on the Advisory Board of River’s Wish Animal Sanctuary and the Advisory Council of Lantern Publishing & Media. In addition to her animal and environmental advocacy work, she is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning classical pianist. She is Assistant Producer and Classical Music Consultant for the 2023 documentary, Taking Note, about the intersection between animal rights and music. Kong partners with vegan cellist Christoph Wagner as the founding members of Vegan Virtuosi, using the power of music to raise compassionate awareness.