Joe was a member of the Tip Top Troupers 4-H Club at Center Hill School in Illinois from 1956-65. The club is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Joe was elected to the County 4-H Federation and chaired that teen leadership group for two years. He was selected to attend the Illinois 4-H Leadership Conference in 1964 and was chosen to return in 1965 to serve on the Continuation Committee. He won the Illinois 4-H Key Award in 1964. Joe began his 4-H career as the Area 4-H Youth Development Specialist for Boone and Howard Counties in Missouri, 1976-81. He became the Missouri State 4-H Curriculum Specialist, 1981-86. During that time he created and coordinated the national 4-H Curriculum Network, working with Curriculum Specialists nationwide.
Joe then became the Director of Idaho 4-H in 1986-87. He built the 4-H enrollment from 18,000 to 38,000 in two years. In the same position in Washington State from 1987-93, he led the doubling of that 4-H enrollment from 37,000 to 75,000 with only 13 fulltime 4-H Agents. While there, he established a program for 4-H volunteer background checks. He built a highly successful 4-H Ropes/Team building program, establishing several sites across the state. In his years in Iowa (1993-2003) Joe lead the growth of Iowa 4-H enrollment from 73,000 to 130,000, and then in Kentucky (2003-2010) from 170,000 to 230,000.
