Joanne Edwards received a certificate of recognition as a "Woman of Achievement" at the Women of Color Research Sciences and Technology Awards Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. This conference is sponsored by the following magazines: USBE and Information Technology, Hispanic Engineer and Information Technology, and Women of Color Conference Magazine.

The "Women of Achievement are Women of Color who have significantly influenced the community as either an engineer, researcher, scientist or technologist and whose contributions continue to advance technical career opportunities for other women of color".