“Joe is the perfect example of someone who has had every opportunity to fall ‘into the crowd,’ or try to be something that he’s not, yet is a person who decided to rise above the ‘norm’ and accomplish incredible things. When Joe was in sixth grade, his teacher asked the students to write a letter to their older self declaring what they envisioned they’d be doing upon graduating high school, a letter that would be held for safe-keeping and returned to students at their graduation from high school. Joe, at the age of 11, wrote a letter proclaiming that he would be attending the University of Connecticut when he graduated. When it was time to choose which college he wanted to attend, of the many to which he was accepted, Joe made his decision to attend that very university, marking the beginning of a very trying yet rewarding road ahead.
A month prior to beginning his freshman year at UConn, Joe’s mother was in a very serious car accident leaving her hospitalized and in critical condition, and the family in a state of shock, worry and upheaval. As his mother has always been a huge part of the cornerstone of his life, leaving her and the family behind to head off to college with so many uncertainties was not the way he felt comfortable beginning his college career. With much trepidation, and at the urging of his family, Joseph left for UConn. To say that his college career began on shaky ground is an understatement. Looking for some sort of healthy diversion from the family situation that weighed heavily on his mind, Joe joined his first campaign in the spring of 2010. As part of this statewide U.S. Senate campaign, Joe was tasked with recruiting student volunteers at UConn and other state colleges to help provide grassroots support for the candidate. Although the candidate lost, two years later Joe was asked to join the campaign again when the candidate decided to run for the other U.S. Senate seat in the state. Joe proved to be a valued field operative, so much so that he was recruited by the College Republican National Committee to be a part of their 2012 Operation Red November field program. As part of this program, Joe took a semester off from school and moved to Arizona to run youth grassroots field operations for the organization and help campaigns bridge the gap between the candidates and student voters. Joe was recognized as one of the most successful field operatives in the country for the CRNC. Upon Joe’s return to UConn following the election, Joe was hired as a Legislative Aide for a lobbying firm in Hartford, taking night classes and graduating on time with the rest of his class. He left UConn with more professional experience than most graduates receive in the first few years of leaving school.
Although Joe could have stayed in politics upon graduation, Joe returned to his hometown of Long Beach, N.Y., a seaside area that was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. In addition to the mass destruction and loss of homes, businesses, vehicles and personal possessions, the city’s boardwalk was completely destroyed. The community relied heavily on the boardwalk as a tourist attraction and without it many believed the city would suffer a huge economic loss. Joe, with the help of his father, a local restaurant owner, and other local leaders, started The Shoregasboard, which operated as a food court made up of food trucks owned by members of the community. Joe quickly became the face of the group, growing the operation to include more local food trucks and stretching the reach of the attraction and helped the city bring in millions of tourists to enjoy the beaches and other retail shops badly damaged by the storm earlier that fall. Joe was recognized by local leaders for the time and energy he put into ensuring their was somewhere for locals and tourists to eat when they visited the beaches, and the group of trucks still operates every summer as a new staple in the community.
Once the summer months concluded, Joe decided to dive back in to his true passion of politics. Joe started working for an industry-leading firm, specializing in state and local government affairs and consulting. Joe currently works for a nationally recognized and award-winning political consulting firm in the Washington D.C. metro area, managing and assisting in targeted direct fundraising and voter contact programs for some of the biggest and most well-known Republican campaigns and conservative organizations.
Joe has now made his new home Washington D.C., and continues to dedicate time to Lambda Chi Alpha, serving on the local Alumni Advisory Boards for two chapters (University of Maryland and George Washington University) and tries to help his new community through a variety of non-profit and special interest organizations. Joe has already accomplished goals that most would need a decade to attain and not many young professionals have the focus, drive and enthusiasm that Joe displays on a day-to-day basis. Joe is not a typical ‘millennial’ and is an extremely deserving recipient of Lambda Chi Alpha’s 30 under 30 recognition.” – Anonymous nomination.
How has the Lambda Chi Alpha experience contributed to success in your field or in other accomplishments?
I didn’t have a great start to my freshman year but I can honestly say that meeting my Lambda Chi Alpha brothers that year genuinely changed my life for the better. They supported me through the toughest times of my life and were there to celebrate the greatest.
One anecdote sums up the kind of bond our chapter had. One year in college, I was hospitalized for over a week. Following the surgery I needed, I woke up to find five older brothers in my room. These guys drove 3.5 hours down from school, in the first week of the semester to visit me for to make sure I was okay. While a simple phone call would have satisfied, they went out of their way to put a smile on my face. This small gesture stayed with me throughout the years and shaped how I view relationships with friends and family. It showed me how a small gesture to someone can change the lives of others. I always try my best to go out and volunteer in the community as much as possible to try to help others the way these guys did for me. We’ve all grown through the years but I feel as if we’ve grown up together, not grown apart.
Professionally, I learned a lot from the fraternity. In any meeting, job interview or professional scenario, especially in politics, we all judge each other on our character and our leadership. We always look for natural leaders, those who can be the most loyal ally, and those who show the most respect and show a heightened sense of integrity. I pride myself of upholding a good moral character with strong leadership traits. I didn’t realize, however, that the same values I try to practice in my daily personal and professional life were hammered in as part of my fraternity educational program as an associate member, and for that I will always be grateful to my brothers for allowing me grow with them in this learning experience.
What do you hope to accomplish in your next 30 years, professionally, personally or fraternity?
I have many goals I’d like to accomplish but to say I know exactly what I want 30 years down the road would be disingenuous. Professionally, I want to continue to produce great work for my company and when and if the time comes, move on to the next challenge in my life. Whether that’s law school, work in the non-profit sector or staying in the political arena, I just want to be the best and to help those around me as best I can.
My parents always taught me to think globally and act locally. I would love to change the world, but realistically, I’d be happy giving my future children the life that my parents worked so hard to give me. To be able to continue to help the less fortunate and to make sure that, above all else, I keep my integrity high and stay humble is an attainable goal for anyone, so I think that’s an excellent goal to set for myself.
Lambda Chi Alpha has done so much for me in my life, and the least I can do in the next 30 years is to continue to promote the values I was taught in the fraternity and to create an ongoing bond with my brothers throughout the years.
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