Joyce M. Abbott

Keynote Speaker | Award-winning Educator who inspired Abbott Elementary, & Veteran, United States Army

JOYCE M. ABBOTT was born and raised in Philadelphia, and is a dynamic educator who has enthusiastically served the district since 1996. Ms. Abbott enjoys being part of positive and productive change, particularly as it relates to the students she serves. She has been nominated for several teaching awards due to her exemplary instructional practices and classroom management, recognized three times as a “Who’s Who Among America’s Finest Teachers”, and named an “Everyday Hero” by the Philadelphia Daily News. Ms. Abbott has served in many leadership capacities, including as a mentor for other teachers, and she retired as the Climate Manager at Andrew Hamilton School. In 2022, Joyce learned that she was the inspiration behind the name for the hit TV show Abbott Elementary, which was created by her former student, Quinta Brunson. A major street, 59th at Lancaster Avenue, where her alma mater – Overbrook High School – is located, was renamed “Joyce Abbott Way” in her honor, and she was recently inducted into the Overbrook High School Hall of Fame. Ms. Abbott came to teaching via the United States Army’s Troops to Teachers program, where she served as a soldier for ten years and earned the rank of Staff Sergeant. Joyce attributes her effective disciplinary practices to her military experience.