ABOUT JOE
I am a husband, dad, and business owner from Hudsonville, Michigan.
I worked at a local celery farm during high school and graduated from Freedom Baptist Schools in 2004. I met and married my wife at Cedarville University, and graduated with degrees in Accounting and Marketing. After college we moved to the Chicago area, and later moved to Central America to teach at an international Christian school. We returned to West Michigan in 2012.
In 2021, I co-founded Ottawa Impact and began advocating for individual and parental rights after Ottawa County forcibly closed my daughter’s school (Libertas Christian School) and threatened the parents with fines and imprisonment for exercising our rights to determine the care and education of our children.
I was elected to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, District 5, in 2022. I was sworn in to office on January 3, 2023, and immediately took action to return the government to the defense of The People by abolishing the county’s DEI Department, firing the county administrator and county lawyer, and changing the county motto from “Where You Belong” to “Where Freedom Rings.”
I was re-elected to the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners in 2024 and began a four-year term in January 2025.
The Shining City Upon a Hill
“For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.”
– President Ronald Reagan
I will continue to lead with courage, promote freedom and American values, deliver Conservative policies, and make Ottawa County a place Where Freedom Rings.
I grew up listening to Rush Limbaugh and I’m happy to call myself a Rush Baby. One of my favorite quotes by Rush is:
“Let me tell you who we conservatives are: we love people. When we look out over the United States of America, when we are anywhere, when we see a group of people, such as this or anywhere, we see Americans. We see human beings. We don’t see groups. We don’t see victims.”
Experience
- Chairperson, Ottawa County Board of Commissioners, 2023-2024
- Co-Founder and President, Ottawa Impact
- Co-Founder and President, Michigan Impact
- Business Owner & Entrepreneur
- Board of Directors, Keys for Kids Ministries
- Former Precinct Delegate, Ottawa County
- Former President, BNI Chapter, Grand Rapids
Memberships & Associations
- Member, Wellspring Church
- Member, USCCA
- Lifetime Member, MCRGO
- Member, Right to Life
- Member, The Heritage Foundation
- Member, Mackinac Center
- Member, Great Lakes Gun Rights
- Member, Michigan for Vaccine Choice
- Supporter, Great Lakes Justice Center
- Supporter, Michigan Family Forum
- Graduate, Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership
- Graduate, Americans for Prosperity, GLA 1
- Graduate & Valedictorian, Americans for Prosperity, GLA 2
- Petition Circulator, Unlock Michigan