“Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success”
-Josh Shippy
Joy Buckner, Founder
Living in the manifestation of her name, Joy Buckner is an innovative educator and confidence-builder, an exuberant presenter, and a catalyst for moving people beyond their fears to better their practice.
Joy Buckner is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Buckner Education and the host of The Joy of Neurodiversity podcast. A Denver, Colorado native, Joy brings more than twenty years of experience across education, leadership, literacy, neurodiversity advocacy, and educational technology.
Her work has served communities across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates through roles including teacher, literacy specialist, reading interventionist, instructional coach, Director of Teaching and Learning, and EdTech executive.
Joy is an expert in curriculum and instructional design, a certified teacher and leadership trainer, facilitator, school inspection specialist, and neurodiversity advocate. Charismatic, thoughtful, and full of positive energy, Joy brings a deeply caring and practical approach to her work with teachers, school leaders, families, and industry experts around the world.
“I’m sure I was the student that my teachers wished would be sick so they could have a break. I struggled with my schooling from a young age and acted out as a result. Simply stated, I hated school, and in my early years found little success. To look back now I doubt any of my elementary teachers would have predicted that I would dedicate my life to education.”
Being diagnosed with dyslexia at age 12 was a pivotal moment in Joy’s life, setting the course for her 25+ year career in education. The lack of understanding around her learning difference, combined with minimal emotional and academic support, was deeply challenging. Despite these adversities, Joy persevered and came to recognize that her struggles were not unique. This realization fueled her passion to become the kind of educator she needed and to empower other educators supporting students with learning differences. By equipping teachers with the tools, understanding, and empathy needed to reach every learner, Joy is helping reshape classrooms into spaces where all students feel seen, understood, and valued.
Through Buckner Education and The Joy of Neurodiversity podcast, Joy is driven to reimagine education by uniting diverse voices from spaces that have rarely engaged in the same conversation. Her work brings new perspectives and expertise into education, fostering inclusivity and collaboration while challenging traditional boundaries. By normalizing conversations around neurodiversity and humanizing the lived experiences behind the labels, Joy is reshaping how we approach teaching and learning and helping create a more dynamic, responsive, and compassionate educational landscape.
Joy firmly believes educational success is a communal effort and that learning is a lifelong journey rooted in quality training, access, opportunity, and exposure. She rejects the idea that education should be limited to traditional settings. Through Buckner Education, Joy pushes the boundaries of what education can look like, facilitating learning that spans school buildings, boardrooms, stages, asynchronous learning modules, and creative environments where people feel comfortable, connected, and ready to learn.
How many people have served in senior leadership roles around the world at American, UK, and IB curriculum schools? Joy Buckner is certainly among the few. But it’s the way Joy translates her experience into insights and learning for others that creates the Buckner Education difference. As a client of Buckner Education, we are grateful for the way Joy brings her expertise in teaching, learning, and leadership to designing in-person and online professional learning programs. Joy provides a wide range of services to Mirai Partners including literacy program development, instructional coaching, and instructional coaching training, middle and senior leadership development, and innovation program management and implementation. As a consultant, Joy quickly becomes a member of the team wherever she may go– identifying and addressing challenges while seeking and embracing opportunities. I recommend working with Joy – and Buckner Education – wholeheartedly.
Christine Nasserghodsi , Founding Partner Mirai Partners - Dubai , UAE
Joy Buckner is insightful about current trends in education and the steps industry leaders should be taking to prepare themselves for the future. She coached and mentored the 15-person management team at my school through a rigorous Innovation Program. Her patience and skillfulness helped every team member to think innovatively, take initiative and use what they learned to make an impact on their practice. Without her support, we wouldn’t have been able to complete the program. Thank you, Joy!
Maryam Garba , Development Director - Premier International School - Abuja, Nigeria
“A fantastic subject matter expert with unrivaled knowledge and expertise. An exceptional outgoing, lively and engaging person who has the ability to work with multi-functional teams in traditional and non-traditional education settings. A true professional with a desire to improve learning outcomes.
Kate Heal - United Kingdom
Joy Buckner is a joy to work with. (No pun intended) Her enthusiasm and passion for teaching is contagious. She provided educational coaching services to me via the EdConnective Teacher Leadership program for my school district. She made the difficulty of our time zone differences a non-factor. Each week she provided invaluable resources and effective suggestions to assist me in achieving my teaching goals and to improve my scaffolding practices. She is an innovative thinker and educational strategist. Her educational approach took the stress out of endeavoring to implement unfamiliar concepts into the lesson plan. I saw an increase in student engagement and ownership of their learning. I will continue to incorporate the strategies I learned from her and reflect upon her feedback to enhance my teaching practices. Thank you, Joy for assisting me in my endeavors to become the best teacher I can be for my students.
Sherri Thomas, Social Science Teacher - Selma, Alabama
Joy Buckner is insightful about current trends in education and the steps industry leaders should be taking to prepare themselves for the future. She coached and mentored the 15-person management team at my school through a rigorous Innovation Program. Her patience and skillfulness helped every team member to think innovatively, take initiative and use what they learned to make an impact on their practice. Without her support, we wouldn’t have been able to complete the program. Thank you, Joy!
Maryam Garba , Development Director
Premier International School, Abuja, Nigeria
"Don't follow the path. Go where there is no path and begin the trail. When you start a new trail equipped with courage, strength, and conviction, the only thing that can stop you is you!"
— Ruby Bridges