Joel is the Principal of Pimlico State High School in Townsville. He has taught and held leadership roles in a range of public schools in rural, regional and metropolitan settings as well as within remote Indigenous communities. Joel has also held a number of advisory and board roles with a focus on youth, education and regional development. He is one of twelve Queensland Plan Ambassadors appointed by the Premier to lead community engagement and provide strategic advice in relation to the state's 30-year strategic plan. Joel is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Council of International Schools and he has previously served as the Deputy Convenor of the National Advisory Council for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.