Joan Ganz Cooney

Biography

Joan Ganz Cooney is an American television writer and producer, and co-founder of Sesame Workshop, creator of the iconic children's show Sesame Street. She grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and earned a degree in education from the University of Arizona before working as a journalist and publicist in New York City. In 1961, she became a documentary producer for WNET, where many of her programs won local Emmys.