Joy Ford Austin

Joy Ford Austin is a Guyanese-American non-profit executive, philanthropist, humanitarian, and arts patron. She was the director of the African American Museums Association, which she helped found in 1980, and worked with institutions to preserve African-American culture and history. From 2000 to 2020, Austin served as the executive director of Humanities DC, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Since stepping down as executive director of Humanities DC, she has served as the president of AustinFord Associates and as the chief executive officer of Joy Ford Austin Arts and Humanities Advocacy.

Early life and education Austin was born in Georgetown, Guyana. She is the daughter of John Meredith Ford, who served as Lord Mayor of Georgetown from 1970 to 1972, and Sarojini Janki Ford, who worked in the Ministry of Education. Her paternal grandparents were Ernest Lochmohr Ford and Florence Jean Goring. Austin's maternal family were indentured servants from India who arrived in Guyana during colonial rule and joined the Canadian Presbyterian Mission.

Austin was raised in the Presbyterian faith and attended Burns Memorial Presbyterian Church, the first congreagation of the Guyana Presbyterian Church. In 2005, she launched the D.C. Community Heritage Project, a partnership between Humanities DC and the city government's Historic Preservation Office focused on preserving D.C. historic buildings and documenting the histories of people who lived and worked there.

She was the founding director of the African American Museums Association from 1980 to 1987. As a director, she worked with DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Boston African American National Historic Site, Hampton University Museum, Anacostia Community Museum, Great Plains Black History Museum, and Black American West Museum. She is the aunt of cultural worker and community organizer Priya Dadlani.