Joe grew up in a working class household in Washington. His parents opened a small mechanical contracting company out of their garage when he was five years old, instilling in him the value of hard work at a young age. He is a product of Washington state public schools, including graduating from Western Washington University in Bellingham, and the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. Joe grew up working at restaurants, a cafeteria, a car wash and in retail. Joe later returned to WWU to serve as the Assistant Director of Government Relations, advocating in Olympia on behalf of the University and its students.

Joe currently works in Governor Jay Inslee’s office as the regional outreach representative for Whatcom and neighboring counties. In the community, he has served on boards with the City of Bellingham and he is a board member for the Bellingham Food Bank.

Joe and his wife Heather live in Bellingham with their son, Malcolm, close to where Heather grew up.