In May, 2003, he was appointed Burlington County Historian by the Burlington County Board of Freeholders. He is President of of the H.B. Smith Industrial Village Conservancy and Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Burlington County Cultural and Heritage Department. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Jack Allen Memorial Early Country Living Museum in Southampton. He has been a member of the Board of the Burlington County Historical Society and is active in Burlington County's Tourism initiatives. He is an elected Committeeman in Southampton Township, now in his third term.
Prior to his retirement, he was a member of the staff of Burlington County College for 27 years, and prior to that taught at Gloucester County College and Canevin High School, Pittsburgh. He holds a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
Joe is an internationally recognized authority on Halley's Comet and Christopher Columbus. He has published works on both subjects and has appeared on NBC's "Today Show", ABC's 20/20 and CBS News with Dan Rather. He was featured in National Geographic Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and USA Today, among other national and international publications, for his unique educational projects dealing with Halley's Comet and Christopher Columbus.
Joe is a native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He travels extensively, having visited over 50 countries since 1985. He and his wife, Penny, live in Vincentown. They are the parents of four adult children.