A woman with red hair and glasses resting on her head sits on a chair, smiling, holding a colorful children's book titled 'It's my turn to play,' featuring an illustration of children playing with a ball.

While living in Uganda, Jo-Ann and a team held consultations with Ugandan children living with disability to understand the challenges faced with inclusion. Based on the experiences shared, a hopeful story was written encouraging inclusivity in sport. The story is called “It’s My Turn to Play” and is distributed throughout schools and non-profit organizations all over Uganda.

The name Afya means “health” in Swahili — reflecting both my roots in global health and my belief in organizational well-being. My approach is collaborative, candid, and values-driven. I step in when organizations need fresh perspective, practical solutions, and the confidence to move forward.

Areas of Expertise:
✅ Strategic Planning & Program Development
✅ Process Improvement & Operational Efficiency
✅ Data-Driven Decision-Making & Qualitative Assessment
✅ Non-Profit & Small Business Leadership
✅ Healthcare Practice Management
✅ Grant Strategy & Fund Development

Jo-Ann Bateman, M.Sc.

Founder & Principal Consultant

Jo-Ann helps organizations and leaders see what’s really happening — the gaps, the risks, and the opportunities that often get overlooked — and turn those truths into clear, actionable strategies that drive impact.

With over fifteen years of leadership experience across healthcare, non-profit, small business, and international development in Canada, Uganda, Egypt, and Zimbabwe, she offers a unique blend of global perspective and practical know-how. Jo-Ann’s work has ranged from leading monitoring, evaluation, and learning for USAID-funded programs to helping small health practices and non-profits streamline operations, strengthen strategy, and deliver better results. With a family background in entrepreneurship, Jo-Ann thrives in environments where she wears many hats, can roll up her sleeves, and help small- to medium-sized organizations unlock their potential. This is where her heart lies: supporting values-driven teams to realize their impact in tangible, lasting ways.

Some highlights from Jo-Ann’s career include:

  • Healthcare transformation – using data-driven process improvements to reduce patient wait times for specialist consultations from 18 months to 2–4 months.

  • Global health leadership – guiding large-scale program assessments and strategic initiatives across multiple countries, shaping policy and practice in global health.

  • Small business support – helping independent clinics and entrepreneurs clarify strategy, design operational structures, and build sustainable growth without losing sight of their values.

  • Founded Canada-Uganda Sport & Exercise Medicine (CUSEM) — built international partnerships, recruited expert faculty, and coordinated training opportunities to address the need for increased training for Ugandan health practitioners.

With Afya Consulting, I partner with small to medium sized organizations to:

  • Unlock progress when teams feel stuck.

  • Bring clarity and structure to strategy, programs, and operations.

  • Provide interim executive leadership when organizations need steady hands during transition.