Nan Joesten, Esq

A reformed engineer and lawyer, Nan Joesten first honed her judgment through experience and training at Procter & Gamble. As a chemical engineer, she guided manufacturing teams to deliver key factor performance, and later, as a brand manager, she led multi-functional teams to bring new products to market on time and under budget.

After law school, Nan tried complex commercial and intellectual property cases and counseled a wide range of clients, from family-owned startups to Fortune 50 companies, both in the U.S. and abroad, as a partner at a San Francisco firm. Nan chaired her firm’s professional development program, and as an early advocate for the advancement of women in the profession, founded her firm’s women’s initiative. Nan was national co-chair of the American Bar Association’s women trial lawyers committee, and she led the ABA’s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program in San Francisco, fundraising and recruiting judges to provide paid summer judicial clerkships for law students of color typically underrepresented in the profession. During her legal career, Nan was president of the Berkeley Law Alumni Association. For her service to her alma mater, Nan received the UC Berkeley Trustees Citation Award, and was honored with Berkeley Law’s Young Alumni Achievement Award.

Nan went on to found Rapid Evolution LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to accelerating professional growth through leadership training, professional development programs, and executive coaching. With her good-humored curiosity, clear thinking, and 30 years of organizational savvy, Nan discerns points of connection with clients that build relationships and drive projects forward to success.

Passionate about public education, Nan served on the Engineering Advisory Council at her alma mater, the University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She later joined the College’s BOLD Center Advisory Council collaborating with stakeholders to advance justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the College. Nan is a recipient of CU-Boulder’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award, and the CU-Boulder Alumni Association’s Alumni Recognition Award. Nan recently completed her second term on the board of directors of the University of Colorado Foundation.

After Nan and her husband Hank relocated to Boulder, Colorado, Nan joined the YWCA of Boulder County board, eventually serving as board president. She was thrilled to be able to attend the most recent YWCA World Council meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2019.