Joyce Spanakis was born and raised in Canton, Ohio, and attended St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Massillon, Ohio. While at St. George, Joyce was the first woman to serve on the Parish Council as Secretary and eventually served as the first woman President. After her time with the Parish Council, she became President of the Philoptochos and was heavily involved in its ministries. While president, she co-chaired the Metropolis Daffodil Luncheon to raise funds for Social Services. In 2008, Joyce was appointed to the National Philoptochos Board by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Geron of America. She served on the National Board from 2008-2016. In 2009, Joyce was appointed to the Metropolis of Pittsburgh Board and served there for 7 years.

Joyce attends Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Canton, Ohio, and is a member of the Philoptochos Chapter at St. Haralambos in Canton. At Holy Trinity, Joyce has taught Sunday School and was an advisor to the HOPE group. She is a lifelong choir member and currently serves as the Choir Director. She and her husband, Nicholas, have chaired the regional Oratorical Festival at Holy Trinity. In 2020, Joyce rejoined the Metropolis of Pittsburgh Board as Vice President. In October of 2022, she was elected President of the Metropolis. She was chair of the Fundraising Committee for the past two years and organized a virtual Daffodil Luncheon where all monies raised went straight to regional Food Banks throughout the Metropolis. In October of 2021, she had the distinct honor of representing the women of Philoptochos as she greeted His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew on his visit to Pittsburgh.

Joyce and her husband, Nicholas, have been married for 19 years. They have one son, Stavros, attending college at Loyola Chicago. Joyce is currently in her 32nd year of teaching First Grade. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech Education from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Akron, and her K-12 Reading Endorsement. When she is not busy handling school or the Philoptochos business, Joyce loves to bake and travel.