Although Joy grew up in Winston-Salem, NC she has always had close ties to Iredell County since both of her parents were from the area. Most of her relatives lived in the area and attended church in Iredell County. Joy's home church was Zion Baptist in Union Grove, NC, the church in which her father was raised.
She graduated from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in Elementary Education and later obtained an M.ED in both Supervision and Curriculum and in Educational Administration. Joy taught at Union Grove, Scotts, and Celeste Henkel Elementary schools before moving into educational administration. She served as Principal at East Iredell Elementary. In Davie County, NC, she served as Principal at Coolemee Elementary and Pinebrook Elementary. After a thirty-year career in education, Joy retired in December, 2013.
Joy is married to Roy Morrison. They have one daughter, Rev. Kate Morrison, who resides in Flint, Michigan. They are active members of First Presbyterian Church in Statesville, NC. One of Joy's greatest "joys" has been serving for the past thirty years as one of the teachers for the Living in Faith Sunday School Class .... a class for developmentally disabled adults.
Joy was quoted as saying, "It is both an honor and a privilege to serve as Executive Director of Iredell Christian Ministries." She asks for your prayers for guidance and discernment as she works together with others at ICM to continue to provide a financial and nutritional bridge for those in crisis.