Joana Darc dos Santos Cordeiro, is a lawyer, public servant, animal rights activist and politician from the state of Amazonas. She is affiliated to the Party of the Republic (PR).

In October 2011, she founded one of the first animal protection organizations in the state of Amazonas, a non-profit called Animal Protection, Adoption and Treatment, also known as PATA Manaus, which is still running with over 50 active volunteers.

Along with the NGO PATA, Joana led two important national movements in the city of Manaus: the “No More Cruelty” and the  “March for Animal Defense” movements, both with the purpose of rallying Brazilian politicians to strive for more punitive measures for those who commit crimes of neglect and ill-treatment against animals.

In 2016, she was elected for public office for the first time, to the position of Alderwoman of the city of Manaus, with 3,261 votes. After two years in office, she decided to run for the position of State Deputy, winning the election with an agenda of
fighting for the animal cause. She was the most voted woman in the state capital, Manaus; she received a total of 26,816 votes in the entire state, placing 12th among all elected State Deputies.

Before her election, in December 2017, she had already received the Legislative Assembly’s Order of Merit, which is granted to politicians, government officials and civil and military personnel for services of great relevance to society.

In February 2019, she was appointed by the current Governor of Amazonas as Deputy Government Leader in the Amazonas Legislative Assembly. It is the first time in history a female representative has been chosen to fill such a role.