Joe J. Palencia currently serves community college students in the capacity of an Academic Support Specialist for the TRIO Student Support Services Program at Harry S Truman College in Chicago, Illinois. In his role, Joe provides individual coaching sessions that connect to transfer, completion, and career programs. Specifically, he provides advice and counseling to help students with their academic and career goals.

Before his current role as an Academic Coach at Truman, Joe was a doctoral associate in the Department of Educational Leadership (EDL) at Miami University (Ohio) from 2017 to 2021. His Associateship was in the SAHE (Student Affairs in Higher Education) program, where he held Teaching, Research, and Administrative responsibilities. He taught both undergraduate and graduate courses at the Oxford Campus of Miami University. Prior to Miami, Mr. Palencia served as an advisor for the Student Support Services TRIO program at Oakton Community College in Northern Cook County, Illinois from 2013 to 2017. As an Adjunct Instructor, Mr. Palencia taught COL 108 – The College Experience, a 3 Credit Undergraduate course that develops the competencies that are necessary to be a successful college student.

Joe is a First-Generation Student Affairs Educator with over ten (10) years of higher education experience working in the areas of research, teaching, student success, multicultural affairs, new student orientation, academic advising, and TRIO at two-year colleges as well as public and private four-year universities in various administrative roles.

Joe is a member of ACPA – College Student Educators International, Lambda Theta Phi, Latin Fraternity, Inc., and NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Palencia has received several honors and awards including the 2013 ACPA Latina/o Network Graduate Student of the Year Award, the 2015 ACPA Latina/o Community Advancement Award, and the 2020 American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) Graduate Student Fellowship.

Joe earned a Master of Education degree (M.Ed.) in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) in Communication and Latina/o Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Joe currently resides in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, where he was born and raised. When he is not serving students, Joe enjoys spending time outdoors and loves to grill, ride his bike, and visit family and friends.