About Our Staff Members

Joel has been the Director of Research, Education, and Consulting (REC) at Unique Venues since January 2020, and has been engaged as a consultant for Unique Venues more than 30 times since 2015. In his role as the Director of REC, Joel works directly with UV clients on consultations involving the marketing, sales, operational, and financial needs of meetings and events venues, assists with website evaluations and design, and oversees projects in our design studio including digital brochures and venue videos. He also develops an educational schedule of webinars, roundtables, and forums for venue managers and event planners, the annual program for the UV Annual Marketing Conference, and the Sales Plan Bootcamp.  Joel delivers multiple educational sessions annually to the UV audience, as well as being a featured presenter at industry conferences including ACCED-I, NACAS, and CUCCOA.

Prior to joining Unique Venues, Joel completed a 25-year career at the University of Arizona in Tucson where he retired as the Associate Vice President for Academic Initiatives and Student Success. Throughout that career, he served primarily in management, financial, and operational roles for large, auxiliary departments such as Housing & Residential Life and the Arizona Student Unions, and in administrative leadership roles for Arizona Online and the Arizona Distance Campus network. His very first charge as a professional was to create a one-stop shop for conferences and events at the University of Arizona.

Joel has called Tucson, Arizona, home for more than 35 years and appreciates everything it has to offer – incredible food (Tucson is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy), great weather, Wildcat sports, and non-stop outdoor recreation options. He swims, bikes, and runs on a regular basis, and completed his first half marathon in December 2022, in a time of 1:58. When not working or training, he enjoys playing board games, watching movies in the theater, reading by the pool, or traveling as often as possible for work and pleasure. Recent trips include a European vacation in Italy and the UK (his brother lives in London) and a visit to Bar Harbor, Maine, and Acadia National Park during fall foliage season. He shares these adventures with his wife, Kim, and his two adult children, Matthew and Allison.