Joan Ganz Cooney

Joan Ganz Cooney is an American television writer and producer known for co-founding Sesame Workshop, the organization responsible for the influential children's television series *Sesame Street*. She was born and raised in Phoenix and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in education from the University of Arizona in 1951. Before moving to New York City, she worked for the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., and as a journalist in Phoenix. In New York, she became a publicist for television and production companies. In 1961, she entered the field of educational television, working as a documentary producer for WNET, New York’s first educational TV station. Several of the programs she produced during this period won local Emmys, establishing a foundation for her future contributions to children's media.