As NCSEA’s Senior Advisor, Rita “Dr. J” Joyner works across teams to ensure organizational goals are achieved using her multiple years of technical and managerial experience in private industry and state government. Prior to NCSEA, she served as Section Chief of the State Energy Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program, and she was appointed Legislative Liaison to the North Carolina State Board of Education. At NCSEA, Dr. J leads the Women in Clean Energy (WICE) initiative under the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) team. As part of her work at NCSEA, Dr. J serves on the Energy Conservation Code Ad Hoc Committee of the NC Building Code Council.

She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an avid sports enthusiast and community volunteer.