Jo, as most knew her, passed peacefully at her home in Delray Beach, FL in the company of her loving husband Ronald D. Rocheleau and her dedicated caregiver Sandra Morris. She was a dynamic, compassionate and inspiring person, with wide-ranging interests spanning from baseball to ballet. Possessed of an indelible sense of justice, she was a trailblazer advancing the roles of women in the corporate world, and championed causes that fought for civil and human rights.

Jo was born in Nashville, TN to Jean and Joel Bennett. Her father Joel had completed his PhD in Chemistry at Vanderbilt University and was tragically killed in a collision with a police car when Jo was only 15 months old. Jean, a school teacher and newly single mother, moved with Jo to Asheville, NC, where Jo lived through high school in the Smoky Mountains. As a child she gained several defining experiences, such as spending a year living in Cornwall, England, as well as attending Girls State, where she confronted the injustice of legislated racial discrimination.

After high school, Jo headed a bit east to attend Duke University where she naturally became a life-long supporter of the Blue Devils while earning a degree in English literature. After college, Jo lived in several diverse cities including Nice, France and Cambridge, MA. She married her first husband Roger M. Kubarych in Boston where they spent many afternoons watching the Red Sox while she worked at MIT and he studied at Harvard. They even named their dog “Fenway” and their cat “Bleachers!” In the early 70s they moved to New York City, where Jo would spend the majority of her life, primarily in Park Slope, Brooklyn half a block from her beloved Prospect Park. In Brooklyn, she found her true home, and she became a Mets fan! Her only child Kevin Kubarych was born in 1974. She was a perfect mother – the original “lighthouse” parent before that term existed. Her support and constant encouragement propelled Kevin to fulfill the dream that was stolen from her father: a successful career as a chemistry professor, first at the University of Michigan and now at the University of Ottawa in Canada. Like the daughter she might have had, Jo adored her daughter-in-law, Jennifer Ogilvie, recognizing her as her son’s most significant achievement, and was so proud of her successful career as a physics professor, facing many of the same challenges Jo did in her professional career in the mid-70s. Together they talked about books, shopped for antiques and developed a deep friendship. Jo’s love for her two grandchildren Amelie and Landon was limitless, as was her stamina to read them stories. They miss her dearly.

After Jo’s first marriage ended in the mid 80s, she eventually met Ronald, a former navy pilot and businessman, in the early 90s, surprised that someone would actually live steps from Times Square. Ron’s keen intellect, kind heart, and knack for engaging conversation complemented Jo’s personality perfectly, and after he realized Park Slope was the better option, Ron left Times Square to the tourists and became another admirer of Prospect Park. Ron and Jo were married in 1996 and remained together for the rest of her life. They travelled the world and opened their home to animals in need. Together they shared their lives with several cats and dogs, as well as friends and family. Jo and Ron took full advantage of the arts in the city. Jo had a truly vibrant personality and cultivated a tight but diverse network of friends. She was always ready for the next special exhibit at the Met, the latest Broadway hit, off-Broadway gem, or even off-off-Broadway experiment. She was an incredible cook, a skill that her daughter-in-law thanks her for passing on to her son. She hosted legendary Thanksgiving dinners, bringing together a motley crew of family and friends whose interactions she managed with grace. True to her southern roots, each place setting had appropriately configured silverware, passed down from her grandmother.

Jo was highly dedicated to her successful career, first in human resources and then in executive search, particularly as a Partner at the top-rated Battalia-Winston firm, which she joined in 1990. Her early positions were in companies with familiar names: Mitsubishi, A&W, and United Brands (Chiquita bananas). When she joined Battalia-Winston she was clearly right where she had always wanted to be. Cultivating long-term clients and getting into the details of each new search challenge, she used her quick wit and uncanny skill of always asking the right questions to pair firms with their ideal leadership candidates. She became well known for communicating to journalists in TV, radio and print, the findings of the annual Battalia-Winston Holiday Party Survey, a real-world measure of leading indicators of corporate climate.

Jo’s family will have a celebration of her life in the coming months. Please contact Kevin (femtobio@mac.com) if you would like to join us virtually or in person to honor her remarkable life.