SHOW UP AND SAY YES!
Submitted on June 23, 2026
JOANNA LANE ‘02
By Brandy (Ritter) Osborne ‘99, Training Analyst, JP Morgan Chase
Joanna Lane ‘02 came to Georgetown College from Circleville, OH, in the fall of 1998, seeking a place of meaning. What she found was a home that would challenge her, and offer her the grace to grow, learn, and develop leadership skills that would carry her to her life’s callings.
During the mid to late 1990s, Georgetown College’s softball program faced significant challenges, including the lack of a dedicated playing field and a full-time coach, which led to limited on-field success. Lane saw these challenges as opportunities; she knew that the team needed leaders and advocates. As a sophomore, she showed up and said “yes” to the challenge. After being mentored by leaders like Amy Weitzel ‘99 during her first year on campus, Lane became the team captain in year two, a role she held for the remainder of her time at Georgetown. She, along with her teammates, went to the athletic department’s administration to advocate for improved resources and support for the program.
By her junior year, change came in the form of Coach Mark Montgomery, who set new standards for everything from training to game play. Expectations went through the roof, and the results were clear. Georgetown College’s softball team went on to win the Mid-South Conference tournament in 2001 and 2002, and the regular season championship in 2002. Lane also saw the dedication of the Tiger Softball Complex in her senior year, playing the first games on the field for which she and her teammates had advocated so hard. The accolades on the field were proud moments, but she says what she learned was how to navigate leadership communication with those in higher positions and to build a team around more than oneself. She learned the value of “effecting change through taking ownership of what you want.”
Her leadership on the field carried over into her history and education majors and into her roles in Phi Mu and the GC Student Government Association. She was recognized for her leadership as the Panhellenic Council Sorority Female Athlete of the Year, and in 2018, she was inducted into the GC Athletic Hall of Fame alongside the 2001 team.
After graduating in 2002, Lane pursued a Master’s degree in sports management at Florida State University, where she served as a graduate assistant to Dr. JoAnne Graf, one of the winningest softball coaches in NCAA Division I history. Dr. Graf’s mentorship helped her find her next mission—coaching NCAA Division I Softball. Lane coached for the next 15 years at Northern Illinois University, South Dakota State University, and Central Michigan University. As an assistant coach at Central Michigan University, Joanna began her doctoral work in Educational Leadership, earning her EdD in 2018.
Though Lane loved coaching and mentoring student-athletes, she had noticed a significant gap in support for coaches. As Vice President of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, she saw that coaches needed resources to excel, to better navigate personnel issues, and “how to keep the athletes and administrations happy.” After years of being mentored by some of the most elite leaders in the game, she felt a calling to help other coaches, believing that building support for coaches was a direct path to helping student-athletes become stronger leaders and better people. She said the best coaches are truly educators at heart, helping those in their care build resilience and leadership.
As she recognized this need, a door opened to her calling, and she again decided to show up and say “yes!” In 2016, Lane became the Senior Director of Education and Program Development for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. There, Lane leads discussions and helps guide the sport at the national level, with over 7,000 members in the association. Her work includes collaborating with the NCAA and coaches on rule changes, including those for the national championships. Lane also serves as an analyst for select televised games on the ACC and SEC networks.
Joanna said that her family and values led her to GC, but her time here gave her the space to be brave, try hard things, and learn unexpected skills. These attributes strengthened her ability to find opportunities she could never have imagined as a college student and to follow her purpose.
She credits Dr. Rosmary Allen as one of her biggest influences as a student, saying Dr. Allen set high expectations, never wavered in support, and promised to “proofread for the rest of your life.” Lane said that even in that first week of English 111, she saw Dr. Allen walk the walk every day, showing the GC mission in a living way.
Lane loves returning to campus for alumni events, saying that even 20 years later, Georgetown still feels like home.
For more great stories like Lane's, read the Spring 2026 Issue of GC Moments: The Georgetown College Alumni Magazine
