Faculty of the Week: Joanne Lembo

Every student recognizes the name Joanne Lembo—perhaps from her weekly “Club News and Notes.” These consistent announcements are only a fraction of Lembo’s work; through bolstering the support network for LGBTQ+ students, managing clubs and organizing events, Lembo has made Exeter’s campus a more vibrant place.

Lembo, currently Director of Student Activities, LGBTQ+ Student Coordinator and Wentworth dorm faculty, has been an active part of Exeter’s community since 1996. 

Before coming to Exeter, Lembo worked as Assistant Hall Director and intern in Student Activities at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). Though Lembo has involved herself in planning events since high school, she never intended to do so professionally; in fact, she studied art photography in college. 

However, during her internship, a friend alerted her to an open position at Exeter. “The person who had my job originally ended up quitting suddenly,” she said. “That's how I ended up here. Totally by accident.” For Exeter, this accident was surely a happy one.

Though her job was an unexpected one, Lembo’s previous experiences have informed her work. In particular, her time as a hall director showed her the challenges students face. “Everything that I do, including my newest role as the LGBTQ+ Student Coordinator, is really about the health and well-being of our students,” she said.

Lembo cited Exeter’s inclusivity as a main reason for her remaining at the Academy. “I was out at that time as a lesbian, and I wanted to make sure wherever I worked was a place that's gonna accept me for all of me,” she said. “This was 25 years ago, and, back then, prior to marriage equality, [Exeter] had domestic partner benefits. I didn't have to hide who I was, and that was also important for me—to be able to work in a place where I could be me.”

Interim Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Reverend Heidi Heath commended Lembo’s immense contributions to the LGBTQ+ community, noting her role as trailblazer for queer people at Exeter. “As one of the first out LGBTQ+ adults, she has paved the way for others like me to be able to live lives in this community as our full selves,” Heath said. “She has also spent countless years advocating for our queer kids and making this community what it is today.”

Lembo’s lasting impact includes founding several affinity groups for queer students. Lembo said that upon her arrival to Exeter, she noticed that LGBTQ+ students hesitated to attend Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) meetings due to fears of outing themselves. As a possible solution, Lembo decided to organize private group meetings in her house. 

“I had a couple students come to me saying, ‘I really want support, but I am a team captain, I am a proctor, I am [a part of] Student Council or I can't be seen going to the GSA,’” Lembo recalled. “So I started a confidential support group in my house with those students.”

Lembo said that, through these conversations, she developed a deeper understanding of LGBT+ students’ experiences on campus. “Through listening to those students' experiences, I realized what the Academy [was] doing well and what the Academy needed to do differently.”

As more and more students attended these meetings, the program expanded. “In the beginning, it was all LGBTQ+ students in one group together,” Lembo said. “Now, we have a number of different support groups.” What began in Lembo’s house now encompasses six separate groups with eight advisers.

Senior and GSA co-head Maureena Murphy expressed her gratitude for Lembo’s leadership and empathy. “At our core group dinners, she doesn't just offer her advice, but she also offers us stories of who she is, how her day has been, and she invites us to do the same,” said Murphy. “There's a deeper sense of compassion to Ms. Lembo that characterizes all her work, one that would be easy to lose given how incredibly busy she always is.”

During her tenure in student activities, Lembo has also made weekend offerings more accessible. “When I first started at the Academy, the weekend activities were all fundraisers for different student clubs. That meant that if you wanted to go to an event on a Saturday night, you had to pay to go to that event,” she said. “I'm like, ‘This is ridiculous.’ I realized that, by charging for events, we were excluding many of our students who couldn't afford to go to those events. So I worked to change that policy so that all of the events one attends on weekends are free.”

Beyond her official roles, Lembo’s presence has strengthened this community. “​In trying times, she has found different ways to uplift community members,” Assistant to the Director of Student Activities Shannon Goldknopf said. “Whether it's baking cookies, stopping by with Angus the dog or just listening.”

Upper Eli Lembo noted how J. Lembo, their mom, dedicates herself to listening to students. “A lot of students think the adults don’t listen, but they do. If people hate an event, they'll figure out a different way. They'll try to figure out something else where they can make things [the students will love].”

As a dorm faculty member in Wentworth Hall, Lembo also promotes a welcoming environment for both her advisees and residents of the dorm. “Since she’s been at the Academy for such a long time, she knows everything about Exeter,” senior and Wentworth resident David Kim said. “Her wisdom has definitely guided me throughout my four years at Exeter.”

Lower and Wentworth resident Shalom Headly attested to Lembo’s vital role as a champion for LGBTQ+ youth. “She bought me a gay flag, and it was really nice to have that support,” Headly said. “I wouldn’t have gotten that at my old school.”

Lembo’s close connections extend to adults on campus as well “I'm just so grateful for those [friendships]—to have dinners with them or breakfast or even the funny text chains that I have with certain individuals who just keep my sanity going,” Lembo said.

Still, Lembo’s primary commitment is to fostering inclusive student experience. “I have learned that she is passionate and committed and fierce and is in the fight for social justice for the long haul,” English Instructor Alex Myers said. “I respect that so much.”

Ultimately, this fight for change is her vocation. “I’ve been called pushy on those issues sometimes,” Lembo said. “The reason I push is because I want to make sure our students know that they are safe at the Academy, and I want to make sure that they can bring full selves to the table without fear of a bad grade or being ridiculed. I will continue to push that so our students and adults on this campus and feel safe.”