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Joan VonDras is a retired educator with 30 years of experience in public education and a former Democratic candidate for Congress in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District. In the 2026 Democratic primary, she received nearly 37,000 votes and finished just 1,211 votes short of the nomination.Throughout her career in education, Joan secured and implemented more than $250,000 in grants, led professional development in two local school districts, and taught at the university level, including courses in children’s literature, language arts curriculum, and qualitative and quantitative research.Her professional work has long centered on how people learn, communicate, and participate in their communities. She has led workshops on democracy in education, democratic classrooms, student-led discussion, philosophy, and literature-based curriculum.Her experience in the classroom, higher education, and on the campaign trail now comes together in Town Talks Live. With a particular interest in the founding of the United States, the Constitution, and American democracy, Joan brings together people and ideas for thoughtful conversations about the issues shaping our communities and our country.Through conversations about people, policy, and publications, Town Talks Live creates a place to listen, learn, ask questions, and engage with the ideas shaping the conversation. RSSVERIFY