Johanna Zorn is the founder and executive director of the Third Coast International Audio Festival, a Chicago Public Radio program supports artists creating audio documentary and feature work of all styles and brings their work to audiences throughout the world. From 1991 to 2001, she was the executive producer of Chicago Matters, an annual public affairs series exploring topics of vital interest to the greater Chicago community.
Zorn began working at Chicago Public Radio as an intern in 1980 and soon became began assistant producer for the children's program Audio Jam. She also created a newsmagazine for teenagers called "Airplay." In 1990, she produced a general interest talk show called "Studio A."
Zorn has also directed many live national music broadcasts of jazz and blues festivals including the Jazz Fests and the Blues Fests. In 1996, she produced and directed live coverage of the Democratic Convention in Chicago.
Zorn has received several journalism awards for children's programming from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Education Association. For her work on Chicago Matters, she received the Herman Kogan Award from the Chicago Bar Association and a Lisagor Journalism Award.
Zorn has a B.S. in Natural Resources and Communications from the University of Michigan and studied Video Production at Columbia College. Originally from Pittsburgh, Zorn resides on the Northwest side of Chicago with her husband Eric Zorn, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. They have a son, Alex, and twins Annie and Ben.[1]
Zorn is the daughter of late Carnegie Mellon University biophysicist Jerome Wolken [1], and Tobey Wolken, a fiber artist. Her siblings are artist Ann Alexandra Wolken [2], furniture designer Erik Wolken[3] and Pilobolus [4] dance company co-founder Jonathan Wolken.
Zorn is a member of her neighborhood's vision committee, which making plans to enhance the community's commercial streets.