About Joel

Joel is proud to call Blacksburg home and is excited for an opportunity to continue serving his community as a member of the Blacksburg Town Council. Born and raised in the NRV, and a graduate of Virginia Tech, Joel has deep local roots and a genuine understanding of what makes Blacksburg such an extraordinary place.

After graduating from Virginia Tech in 2015, Joel became the operations manager for the YMCA at Virginia Tech, where he played a key role in organizing and expanding a variety of community programs in Blacksburg. His work included overseeing Y-TOSS, one of Virginia Tech’s largest sustainability initiatives in partnership with the Y, coordinating local afterschool care programs, and handling daily operations. In 2020, he earned his Master’s in IT from Virginia Tech and went on to teach career and technology education full-time with MCPS. Currently, Joel has stepped away from full-time teaching to care for his children but stays connected to education by serving as a substitute teacher​.

With a strong commitment to public service, Joel currently serves on the Blacksburg Town Council, voluteers for the Blacksburg Bike Bus, and coleads Strong Towns Blacksburg, where he advocates for better streets, thoughtful growth, and bottom-up, community-lead action to make Blacksburg a stronger town.

Joel believes that the key to a brighter future for Blacksburg lies within the local community. From comprehensive housing and safer streets to active sustainability and thriving local businesses, the path forward starts with us loving our town, making humble observations, then finding the next right things to do and getting them done.

If re-elected, Joel will continue to pursue excellence as a member of Town Council. He believes that preserving Blacksburg's charm and creating a shared vision for the future is the right approach to ensuring that Blacksburg is an incredible town for generations to come.